Aluminum recycling accelerating shift from green initiative to necessity amid tight supply in Commodity News 13/06/2026 Historically tight aluminum supply stemming from disruptions caused by the Middle East war is accelerating demand for recycled aluminum, highlighting its strategic necessity and sustainability benefits. Supply chain shocks and Iranian strikes at major smelters in the UAE and Bahrainare forecast to reduce 2026 Middle Eastern aluminum production by up to 2 million metric tons, according to S&P Global CERA aluminum analysts. The production loss, along with shipping freezes in the Strait of Hormuz, has forced markets to scramble for alternative supplies. Industry leaders said scrap aluminum is playing a key role as Western nations adapt to looming supply shortages. “Recycling remains essential from a sustainability perspective — recycled aluminium requires around 95% less energy than primary production and significantly reduces CO2 emissions,” a spokesperson for the Brussels-based European Aluminium trade group told Platts, part of S&P Global Energy. “But geopolitical tensions and supply disruptions have highlighted the strategic importance of recycling from an industrial and economic security perspective.” The trade group highlighted rapidly increasing global demand for scrap aluminum amid war-induced supply disruptions in aMay 7 interview with Platts. “As primary aluminium supply tightens due to disruptions in the Persian Gulf, manufacturers are increasingly turning to scrap and recycled aluminium as alternative inputs,” the group said. “This is already increasing global competition for scrap and putting upward pressure on scrap prices and availability.” Recycling for supply resiliency Experts have compared the trend to similar developments in renewable energy. “It’s early days in this shift,” Ross Murdoch, chief sustainability officer at packaging-technology firm Meadow, told Platts in an interview. “It’s almost like a delayed version of the