Aluminium, estrategical material for a circular economy

The Aluminium is four times more circular than plastic and near to two times than wood.

Nowadays the global aluminium demand is higher than the availability of aluminium for recycling purposes, what confirms the durability of its useful life, and it makes foreseen that the primary aluminium demand and the scrap available for being reused would slowly evolve to similar levels.

If we compare it with other materials as wood or PVC, the aluminium is postulated as most indicated material for a future defined with the principles of the circular economy. This is one of the main conclusions of the “Circularity report” which have been just published by the AEA (Spanish Aluminium Association), who represents more than 600 companies with the same main activity. As the report indicates, the aluminium average circularity value is 75.3%, close to two times the circularity value of the wood (with an average value of 43.3%) and nearly four times PVC one (22.5%).

The purpose of the study is to analyse the circularity levels of these three materials (aluminium, PVC and wood), which are really important in sectors as construction, where the efforts are directed to continue growing from the no emissivity, durability and using sustainable materials for the buildings edification.

What today distances the aluminium form that figure of the 100% is the fact that the demand of this material is higher than the aluminium availability, which makes necessary introduce primary aluminium in the market.

“The average of the of the recycled aluminium in the global supply is 36%. The foresight is that, progressively, a stabilisation will occur. That will be the moment when the aluminium available for recycling and reusing will be the same than the demanded aluminium, reaching that figure of 100%”, Jon de Olabarria added.

Moreover, the general secretary of the AEA comments that, “these figures makes more robust what we knew about the aluminium; it is a very sustainable material and fits perfectly in the principles of any circular economy, not only for been 100% recyclable infinite times without any lost of its properties, and for its durability, the huge spectrum of applications for which the aluminium can be destined, and for its great results terms of isolation and thermal efficiency in vital sectors as the construction one, in the path of the sustainability and as lowest emissive as possible”.