Why We Need Transparency in Metals Recycling to Reach Climate Goals

The briefing highlights that material efficiency and recirculation can contribute nearly 20% of the GHG emissions reductions needed by 2050 for the steel and aluminum sectors. It distinguishes between pre-consumer, post-consumer, and internal scrap, noting that only post-consumer scrap provides significant emissions benefits by replacing primary aluminum production, which averages 16 tons of CO2e per ton. To align with 1.5°C trajectories, the aluminum industry must increase the share of post-consumer scrap from 21% in 2020 to 46% by 2050, while reducing pre-consumer scrap from 13% to 9%. The author contends that current reporting, which often only lists 'total recycled content,' obscures these distinctions, and advocates for separate disclosure of post-consumer content to drive market demand and sectoral decarbonization.

• Material efficiency and recirculation are critical for climate goals, potentially providing nearly 20 percent of the cumulative greenhouse gas emissions reductions required by 2050 for the aluminum and steel sectors.
• Post-consumer scrap offers superior environmental benefits compared to pre-consumer scrap because it replaces emissions-intensive primary aluminum production, which has a global average of 16 tons of CO2e per ton. In contrast, pre-consumer scrap is viewed as a system inefficiency, and global emissions reductions are achieved by reducing its generation rather than increasing its recycling rates, which are already approximately 96 percent.
• To maintain a 1.5°C aligned GHG trajectory, the aluminum industry must shift its scrap composition by 2050: the share of post-consumer scrap must increase from 21 percent (2020 level) to 46 percent, while the share of pre-consumer scrap must decrease from 13 percent (2020 level) to approximately 9 percent.
• Significant amounts of aluminum post-consumer scrap are lost to landfills or incineration. Globally, about 26 percent (roughly 7 million tons) is currently lost, a figure projected to rise to 18 million tons by 2050. In Europe, specifically for beverage cans in 2019, nearly 28 percent were incinerated or landfilled.
• Current industry reporting is insufficient because producers typically report only 'total recycled content,' making it impossible to distinguish post-consumer scrap. The document notes a trend toward transparency, including guidelines from the International Aluminum Institute and a 2022 Fastmarkets price assessment for aluminum billets with over 20 percent post-consumer scrap content.

APA

RMI (2023). Why We Need Transparency in Metals Recycling to Reach Climate Goals. https://rmi.org/resources/why-we-need-transparency-in-metals-recycling-to-reach-climate-goals/

Chicago

RMI. Why We Need Transparency in Metals Recycling to Reach Climate Goals. 2023. https://rmi.org/resources/why-we-need-transparency-in-metals-recycling-to-reach-climate-goals/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Why We Need Transparency in Metals Recycling to Reach Climate Goals |date=16 May 2023 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/why-we-need-transparency-in-metals-recycling-to-reach-climate-goals/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2023why, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Why We Need Transparency in Metals Recycling to Reach Climate Goals}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2023}, month = may, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/why-we-need-transparency-in-metals-recycling-to-reach-climate-goals/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }