The UK could face a shortage of recycled aluminium needed for key industries unless it rapidly expands domestic collection, sorting and processing capacity, Make UK has warned.
New analysis from the manufacturers’ organisation suggests the UK aluminium scrap sector will need to grow by 25% every year to meet future industrial demand linked to the government’s Modern Industrial Strategy and Critical Minerals Strategy.
Make UK said domestic industry could require up to 6 million tonnes of recyclable aluminium scrap by 2035, as overall aluminium demand rises to around 8 million tonnes.
However, the organisation warned that rising exports of aluminium waste and scrap could leave UK manufacturers without access to a material needed for defence, clean energy, automotive production and digital technologies.
According to data cited by Make UK, UK exports of aluminium waste and scrap reached 624,314 tonnes last year, a 43% increase compared with 2016.
Shipments to India nearly doubled over the same period, reaching 198,779 tonnes, while exports to the United States rose sharply last year.
The size of the prize is significant, with UK aluminium scrap collection and sorting alone needing to grow by 25% each year
Make UK said the trend risks undermining the UK’s ability to retain value from secondary raw materials, particularly as aluminium becomes increasingly important to low-carbon manufacturing and supply chain resilience.
Daniel Paterson, director of sector specialisms at Make UK, said: “The size of the prize is significant, with UK aluminium scrap collection and sorting alone needing to grow by 25% each year.
“But this important opportunity will be lost if the UK continues to export a critical material that our future economic growth sectors and national security and resilience depend on.”
Make UK is calling for investment in domestic sorting and pre-processing capacity, stronger collection and enforcement standards, and targeted measures to retain certain aluminium alloys within the UK.
It also urged the government to engage with the EU over potential export restrictions, after the European Commission began examining measures to reduce the flow of aluminium scrap out of Europe.
Aluminium is widely regarded as a key circular material because it can be recycled repeatedly without losing quality. Recycling aluminium also requires significantly less energy than producing primary aluminium.
Make UK said keeping more aluminium scrap within the UK would support industrial growth, reduce exposure to global supply chain disruption and help secure feedstock for manufacturers using recycled materials.
The warning comes amid growing concern that secondary raw materials are becoming strategically important to industrial policy, net zero and national security.
Make UK said failure to act could mean manufacturers move production overseas in search of better access to aluminium scrap markets, putting jobs, investment and supply chain resilience at risk.