The Aluminum Association today welcomed President Trump's memorandum calling for strengthened domestic supplies of recoverable critical minerals and materials. The memo directs the Commerce Secretary to take “all appropriate action under section 101 of the [Defense Production] Act” to “secure the supply of recoverable Critical Minerals and Materials.” Aluminum is one of only a handful of materials included on every government critical minerals list.

The Aluminum Association has called for targeted scrap export controls to keep more of this vital material in the United States. Aluminum scrap exports are growing and much of this metal is ending up with strategic rivals including China, either directly or through third party countries. The association encourages the Commerce Department to include aluminum scrap, specifically used beverage containers, in any implementation language or other action following this memorandum.   

“President Trump’s call to action recognizes an increasingly important reality: materials already circulating in our economy are strategic national assets," said Charles Johnson, president & CEO of the Aluminum Association. "Just as America must produce more critical materials, we must also ensure valuable recoverable materials are available to support U.S. manufacturers, the defense industrial base and American workers."

The presidential determination recognizes that recoverable materials embedded in products and manufacturing scrap are strategic industrial resources essential to the nation's defense. The memo reinforces a principle that the association has long advocated for aluminum – the United States should pursue an all-of-the-above strategy to strengthen domestic supply by expanding both primary aluminum production, recycling and recovery. America will need both primary and secondary aluminum to meet growing demand from defense, transportation, energy infrastructure, packaging and other critical industries.

“Building a stronger domestic aluminum industry means investing in new primary production, expanding recycling capacity and ensuring strategically important aluminum scrap remains available to support American manufacturers," said Johnson.

Today, millions of tons of aluminum scrap are shipped overseas, a significant percentage of overall U.S. aluminum supply. And these exports are growing as China seeks to dominate global aluminum recycling, helping fuel overseas production that competes directly with American manufacturers. As new aluminum industry investments come online in the coming years, demand for this material is only expected to grow.

"Aluminum scrap is not waste—it is a critical manufacturing input," Johnson said. "When clean, high-value aluminum scrap leaves the United States, we lose an opportunity to strengthen domestic supply chains, support American recycling investments and manufacture more aluminum products here at home."

In addition to common sense recycling policies and infrastructure investment, the Aluminum Association is calling for targeted scrap export controls, including an immediate ban on the export of used beverage containers. Such action would reduce dependence on foreign sources of aluminum and reinforce the resilient manufacturing base needed to support both economic growth and national security.

“As the administration works to strengthen America's industrial supply chains, aluminum scrap must be part of that conversation," Johnson said. "An all-of-the-above approach to aluminum supply – one that supports domestic primary production while maximizing scrap recovery and recycling – will help ensure the United States has the secure, resilient aluminum supply needed to compete and win, now and in the future."