From Muscle Shoals to Baldwin County...
Aluminum is vital to Alabama’s economy. The Yellowhammer State is home to several large-scale aluminum production plants, as well as companies that manufacture aluminum-intensive naval ships, automotive parts and consumer packaging products. And soon, Alabama will host one of the first new, large-scale aluminum rolling mills built since 1980.
Over the past decade, the aluminum industry has invested more than $11 billion in American manufacturing to meet growing demand for the metal. Today, the aluminum industry directly employs more than 164,000 U.S. workers and indirectly supports an additional half million jobs across the country.
Each year in Alabama, the aluminum industry supports:
19K+
Total Local Jobs
$1.4 B
In Wages & Benefits
$6.7 B
In Economic Output
When Alabama recovers aluminum, the whole state wins.
Aluminum is used in everyday items like beverage cans and smartphones -- and strategic products like fighter jets, tanks and satellites. And more than ever, the industry relies on scrap aluminum to make the industry go.
Today, fully 85% of the aluminum made in the United States is “secondary” aluminum that uses recycled scrap as a main material input. Yet, each year, Americans send more than $1 billion worth of aluminum to the landfill. When we throw away aluminum -- or export it away -- we're wasting a material critical to the economy and our national security.
Recycling aluminum scrap takes only about 5% of the energy needed to make new, or primary, metal. If America recovered and recycled all the scrap it currently exports or sends to landfills, we could power some 5 million homes with the energy saved -- more than all the homes in Alabama.
During a time of high energy prices and record demand on the electric grid, tossing or exporting our aluminum hurts us all. Saving energy means saving cash.
Aluminum scrap is a strategic national asset. Exporting it undermines U.S. supply chains while strengthening countries like China and Russia who don’t play by the same rules. Targeted scrap export controls will support American manufacturing, reduce reliance on foreign metal imports and combat efforts by China to corner the global aluminum recycling market. Learn more about common sense national policies needed to maintain American competitiveness.
Local Voices for Aluminum
"Aluminum is more than a product for Alabama - it’s a pathway to economic growth, innovation, and long-term opportunity. From the cars we drive and the cans we drink from to the technology we rely on every day, aluminum plays a critical role in keeping our communities moving forward. Here in Bay Minette, we’re proud to be part of an industry that’s shaping the future, creating meaningful careers, and strengthening the foundation of our state’s economy."
Tori Holt, Novelis Bay Minette Plant Manager
Aluminum in Action
Aluminum is often rolled into sheet products for use in packaging, transportation, aerospace and more.
The aluminum industry directly employs more than 164,000 American workers and indirectly supports an additional 500,000+ jobs.
Aluminum scrap is an essential input that helps make the products Americans rely upon. Recycling aluminum takes just 5% of the energy needed to make new aluminum.