Economic aspects

The creation of wealth through production and economic activity: the aluminium industry is committed to remaining a competitive and growing industry through innovative products and investments.

In many ways aluminium and the aluminium industry contribute to the economic well-being of society. The numerous qualities of aluminium add a great value to many applications and contribute to innovation and economic performance.
 

•  Aviation : aluminium has made it possible for man to fly. The economic impact of this is unquantifiable. In a book entitled: ‘Aluminium for the Transportation Industry in Europe – Innovation and Competitive Advantages. A System Dynamics approach' , based on the result of a research led by the Bocconi University, it is clearly stated that the spread of aluminium in transportation as a technological innovation gives competitive advantages to producers and customers, with evident social benefits. More recently, the launching of the giant Airbus A-380 which contains aluminium, has once more proven the innovative contribution of aluminium.
	•  Train : the TGV duplex (French high speed train) is a highly innovative product because it integrates the concept of high speed with the concept of high transportation capacity. Because of the train's double-decker structure, aluminium was needed to guarantee compatibility of the weight and the load-bearing capacity of the carriages. The use of the light metal made it possible to produce a train, which, despite its double transportation capacity, weights 12% less than the traditional TGV. Similar arguments are applicable to high-speed ferries.
	•  Cars : reducing the weight of a car up to 100kg allows fuel savings of up to 0.4 litres/100km. Intensive use of aluminium can reduce the weight by 300 kg thus saving up to 3 000 litres of fuel over its lifetime (250 000 km assumed life time)- a major economic consideration.
	•  Packaging : aluminium cans, which are the lightest rigid beverage packaging, can ship up to twice as much as beverage compared to refillable glass bottles.
•  Buildings : reduced maintenance requirements in aluminium intensive buildings are an important reason for the increasing role of aluminium in this sector.
	•  Recycling : the intrinsic value of aluminium is the most effective driver for aluminium recycling. Recycling is essential from an environmental and social point of view but if, on top of that, it makes economic sense, success is guaranteed!

A study led by Delft University of Technologyhas shown that the collection rate of aluminium in residential and non residential buildings is over 92%.