In a joint open letter addressed to Executive Vice President Stéphane Séjourné and Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič, a coalition of European recycling associations and companies has called on the European Commission to reconsider any potential export restrictions on recycled aluminium scrap. The letter, dated May 28, 2026, was coordinated by Recycling Europe and signed by dozens of companies and national associations from across the EU.
The signatories dispute the core rationale behind the proposed measures, namely, the claim that Europe is facing a structural shortage of aluminium scrap. According to the letter, Europe’s recycling industry already supplies high-quality recycled materials that often exceed domestic demand and contribute positively to the EU’s trade balance. The recyclers acknowledge shared challenges with primary producers, such as rising operational costs and intensifying global competition, but stress that policies designed to benefit one part of the value chain should not come at the expense of another.
The coalition warns that export restrictions introduced without adequate market evidence or stakeholder consultation would likely lead to reduced operations, delayed investments, and large volumes of recyclable material going uncollected and unprocessed. Such outcomes, the letter argues, would directly conflict with the EU’s circular economy objectives and put jobs at risk.
The signatories also caution that the logic used to justify restrictions on recycled aluminium scrap could be extended to aluminium ingots and billets, pointing to recent supply disruptions in the Gulf region as an example of how broader market dynamics complicate the picture. They urge the Commission to work with the recycling sector to develop genuinely balanced trade measures and have expressed willingness to engage constructively in that process.
