US aluminium industry wants to can the export of cans

The US Aluminum Association (AA) is calling for restrictions on the export of used beverage containers (UBCs) to keep more aluminium scrap at home to support America’s manufacturing base.

A white paper from the AA, ‘Scrap the Exports, Save US Supply: Treating Aluminum Scrap as a Strategic Asset’, argues that restricting exports is consistent with a global trend on trade. The AA says China, India, Russia and Saudi Arabia already restrict UBC scrap exports and the European Union is considering similar action.

However, it wants export restrictions only on UBCs and similarly high-quality scrap, rather than lower-quality scrap streams like Zorba and Twitch, until domestic processing improves.

Recyclers win

Charles Johnson, president and ceo of the Aluminum Association, says: ‘By focusing only on the scrap we can use and value most, we make sure that American recyclers win and that lower-grade scrap still finds a market abroad until we’re ready to process more of it here.’

Every year, the US consumes between up to six million tonnes of aluminium scrap while exporting more than two million tonnes.

The AA white paper also calls for:

• updated US Harmonized Tariff Schedule (USHTS) codes and other tracking mechanisms to better monitor aluminium scrap flows
• Investment in new technology to improve scrap collection and sorting
• Potential expansion of export controls to other types of mill-ready scrap

Investment

Over the past decade, the AA points out, the US aluminium industry has invested more than US$ 11 billion (EUR 9.5 billion) in new and expanded operations, including two multi-billion-dollar aluminium rolling mills for the first time since 1980.

Johnson adds: ‘Smart, targeted export controls that keep our highest-quality scrap, like used beverage containers, within our borders will help to build a stronger US aluminium industry and support American manufacturing in general. Otherwise, we’re giving up our competitive edge and let non-market economies like China dominate yet another aluminium market.’