Alliance partners in Saxony-Anhalt declare joint commitment towards a sustainable future of the European aluminium industry

Step towards a sustainable future of the aluminium industry is expanding across the world. Such was the event in Saxony-Anhalt when alliance partners Aluminum Germany, IG Metall, IG BCE, the Ministry for Science, Energy, Climate Protection and the Environment, and the Ministry for Economics, Tourism, Agriculture and Forestry of the State signed a joint declaration at Novelis in Nachterstedt for a sustainable future of the industry in German state.

The news came after the signing of declaration on Tuesday, June 27, which marks a strong commitment of the alliance partners to successfully transform the aluminium industry in Saxony-Anhalt to a sustainable one and strengthen the competitiveness of the industry. Saxony-Anhalt is an important location of aluminium production, with Novelis operating the world's most modern and largest aluminium recycling plant in Nachterstedt.

The recycling of aluminium is a key tool to decarbonise the European industry and society. Aluminium is considered a building block for the success of the European Green Deal, expansion of renewable energies, and ramp-up of electromobility to climate neutrality. Also, the metal contributes significantly to industrial value creation throughout Europe. 

The Saxony-Anhalt Aluminium Alliance focuses primarily on the key issues of recycling and the circular economy. The alliance also takes charge of rapid expansion of renewable energies on competitive terms, access to research funding, and free and fair competition in the market. 

Sven Schulze, Economics Minister of Saxony-Anhalt, said "The aluminum industry is an important branch of the economy and a significant employer in Saxony-Anhalt. As with companies in the chemical, glass, copper and paper industries, the energy requirement in this sector is high. In order to achieve the ambitious climate goals in the country, investments in these energy-intensive branches of industry are required. The Ministry of Economic Affairs expressly supports the goals of the aluminum alliance and will support investments for the transformation of the industry within the scope of its possibilities.”

Roland Leder, Vice President of Novelis Europe and Vice President of Aluminum Germany (AD), underlined: “The decarbonization of the aluminum industry is a must in order to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. Novelis, the leader in aluminum recycling, and the entire industry are increasingly using recycled aluminum. Because compared to primary aluminum production, the production of aluminum products from recycled material saves around 95 percent energy and up to 95 percent CO2 emissions. On the way to low-carbon, circular aluminum products, we need political support, on the one hand for competitive framework conditions for a low-CO2 and stable energy supply, and on the other hand for the promotion of the circular economy.”

Marius Baader, Managing Director of Aluminum Deutschland (AD), emphasized: "At the latest since the current energy crisis and the uncertainty surrounding the gas supply, we have known how important a consistent raw materials policy is and that we in Germany and Europe are more independent in the supply of important raw and basic materials must be. To do this, we need a modern and efficient recycling industry and a reliable supply of primary aluminum that is as low-CO2 and globally competitive as possible in order to meet the increasing demand.”

source https://www.alcircle.com/news/alliance-partners-in-saxony-anhalt-declare-joint-commitment-towards-a-sustainable-future-of-the-european-aluminium-industry-80836