European Commission recognizes Bauxite as ‘Critical Raw Materials’

The European Commission has reportedly included bauxite in the list of Critical Raw Materials for 2020 and shared an action plan and a foresight study on it for strategic technologies and sectors from the 2030 and 2050 perspectives.

The inclusion of bauxite in the European Commission’s Critical Raw Materials list signifies the role of the aluminium industry in supporting Europe’s transition to a green and digital economy.

Thanks to its unique properties, aluminium has become the material of choice for clean technology producers in applications like renewable energy, batteries, electricity systems, resource-efficient packaging, energy-efficient buildings, and clean mobility.

Study shows that despite the expeditious growth in recycling, there is a need for the production of primary aluminium, as global demand for the raw metal is expected to increase by 50 per cent in the next thirty years. Hence, Europe needs to develop an ambitious and responsible global sourcing strategy for bauxite.

Today, Europe only produces 10 per cent of the bauxite it processes for primary aluminium production, while its import reliance has worsened considerable in the last few years. The risk of supply chain disruptions could be minimised by maintaining a resilient, autonomous, and complete European aluminium value chain. European Commission expects the inclusion of bauxite in the critical raw materials list will increase political attention on our value chain and will foster new production capacity, both for primary and secondary aluminium. 

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