20.06.2022

International Aluminium Institute celebrates its 50th anniversary! This year, the International Aluminium Institute (IAI) celebrates its 50th anniversary. In honour of this event, the international business publication Financial Times publishes a series of articles on topical issues of the global aluminium industry. Below are the most interesting facts and figures from these publications.

According to Miles Prosser, Secretary General of the International Aluminium Institute, the demand for aluminium in the world will go up in the near future. And this is no coincidence, since the aluminium consumption contributes to the CO2 emission reduction in various industries. Lightweight, durable and recyclable for an unlimited number of times without waste of properties, aluminium remains one of the most important materials for achieving sustainable development goals. 'Growing demand for aluminium will require not only an increase in the reprocessing ratio, but also an increase in the primary metal production,' notes Miles Prosser. But even if all aluminium available today is processed, the need for primary aluminium will still remain for a long time. According to the IAI forecasts, the demand for aluminium will grow by 81% by 2050.

The automotive industry and construction are the main consumers of aluminium today

Annually, the production of primary aluminium accounts for more than 1.1 billion tonnes of CO2, thus recycling is becoming increasingly important. About 75% of aluminium produced during the entire existence of the industry is still used. In addition, the production of secondary aluminium requires 95% less energy than the production of metal from bauxite.

According to the IAI experts, annually about 7 million tonnes of aluminium are not involved in reprocessing, while the need for recycled metal will double in the near future. In 2021, the Plan of the European Aluminium Association was published to implement a circular economy, according to which about half of the EU's demand for metal can be met through recycled aluminium, while reducing the imports share.

The aluminium recycling market is estimated at EUR 3 billion

To keep global warming within 2 °C, emissions in the aluminium industry will decrease by 77%, according to the IAI. This is an ambitious goal that can only be achieved through the interaction of all participants, including representatives of authorities, producers, industry associations and consumers.

The Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) is an international non-profit organisation engaged in the development and implementation of standards aimed at reducing the negative impact on the environment and achieving responsible and open business conduct at aluminium companies. The ASI standards are developed by reputable world experts and cover all stages of aluminium production: extraction of raw materials, production of alumina and primary aluminium, production of semi-finished products and finished products, their use and disposal.

Today, companies are paying increasing attention to climate preservation, environment protection and sustainable development. For example, EGA, the largest aluminium producer in the Middle East, is planning to use solar energy and hydrogen as fuel. In China, more than 4 million of capacities will be transferred from coal regions to those areas where hydropower is the main source of energy: this will reduce CO2 emissions in the country by 50 million tonnes.

In 2018, Alcoa and Rio Tinto formed a joint venture in Canada to produce aluminium using the inert anode technology.

71% of aluminium cans in the world are recycled: this is 34% more compared to PET

European producers of aluminium packaging for beverages set themselves the goal of achieving 100% packaging recycling by 2030.

REFERENCE
The Russian Aluminium Association and the International Aluminium Institute, whose members account for more than 60% of the global primary aluminium production, established partnerships in 2017. Such partnership gives the experts of the Aluminium Association an opportunity to participate in the work of the IAI committees on communications, health protection and environmental protection, as well as to discuss pressing problems of the global aluminium industry at meetings of the leaders of national and regional aluminium associations.

The key activities of the International Aluminium Institute include:

• Increasing the use of aluminium, popularising the unique properties of this material;
• Providing a forum for aluminium producers to discuss important industry issues, organising effective interaction between national aluminium associations;
• Identifying topical issues in the field of production, use and recycling of aluminium, implementing projects and research to solve the issues;
• Providing assistance in the implementation of projects in the field of health, safety and environment;
• Preparing analytical information on the aluminium market;
• Representing the position of the aluminium industry while interacting with international agencies and various stakeholders.