Scrap aluminium ‘essential for UK resilience’

Stakeholders in the UK’s aluminium value chain are calling for the scrap metal to be recognised as a strategic industrial resource central to national growth, circularity and supply chain resilience.

Delegates at the AIT Outlook 2026 conference in London heard a challenge to perceptions surrounding aluminium scrap and an emphasis on its value as a recycled, infinitely reusable material.

The message came from Rachel Wiffen, skills and development manager for the Aluminium Federation (Alfed). ‘Secondary aluminium is not waste,’ she said. ‘It is a circular, recycled aluminium product containing embedded energy, carbon and economic value. The terminology matters because policy perception follows language.’

Volatility

Wiffen’s presentation explored rising global demand for recycled aluminium, driven by sustainability targets, carbon border mechanisms and evolving trade patterns. Recent US tariff decisions have increased the attractiveness of secondary aluminium exports, contributing to shifting scrap flows and heightened volatility in the UK market.

She pointed out official trade data showing the UK exported over 623 000 tonnes of secondary aluminium (HS 7602) in 2025, compared with just under 90 000 tonnes imported, confirming the UK’s position as a significant net exporter.

Wiffen emphasised that scrap volatility presents a structural industrial risk. Domestic remelters face periods where exporting material is more profitable than processing it, particularly given ongoing energy cost pressures.

She argued this could undermine long-term UK processing capability and weakening industrial resilience across automotive, construction, packaging and advanced manufacturing supply chains.

Strategic

‘Aluminium has been recognised by NATO and the UK Government as strategically important,’ she concluded. ‘If we are serious about critical material security, circular growth and industrial resilience, secondary aluminium must be treated accordingly. The story is still being written, and we want Government and industry to shape the next chapter together.’

A key theme of Wiffen’s address was the need for stronger evidence. Through its recycling sector group, Alfed is working with recyclers, remelters and manufacturers to build a clearer, aggregated picture of UK material flows, processing capacity and export dynamics. The initiative aims to provide Government with a more accurate understanding of where secondary aluminium is generated, how it moves through the system and where policy could support greater resilience.

Alfed has requested representation at the Department for Business and Trade’s planned Scrap Roundtable to ensure aluminium-specific challenges are understood.