According to foreign media reports, the explosion at the Novelis aluminum rolling plant in Greensboro, Georgia, US, was a major industrial accident triggered by a baghouse dust collector malfunction. The plant is a leading enterprise in global aluminum recycling, mainly producing aluminum semis for beverage cans, with clients including Coca-Cola. - Time and Location: At around 5:00 p.m. local time on March 1, 2026 (Sunday), at the Novelis aluminum recycling plant on Willow Run Road in Greensboro, Georgia, US. - Incident Overview: A fire was sparked by a dust explosion in the baghouse, spreading to piles of aluminum scrap and conveyor belts, causing partial structural damage to the building; all 16 employees at the site evacuated safely, with no casualties.

【SMM Scrap Aluminium Market Analysis】Southeast Asia's Secondary Aluminum Industry Trapped in "Margin Squeeze": Raw Material Surge Forces ADC12 Plant Cuts, Industry May Enter "Lunar New Year Mode" Early February 2026 marked a period of unprecedented regulatory volatility for the global secondary aluminum and scrap markets. Driven by a confluence of tariff upheavals, aggressive decarbonization mandates, and stringent environmental crackdowns, the traditional flow of aluminum scrap is being fundamentally redrawn. As the United States implements sweeping new import surcharges, the European Union weighs restrictive export measures, and Southeast Asian hubs like Malaysia tighten their borders against contaminated materials, market participants are facing mounting compliance costs and disrupted arbitrage windows. This review examines the key policy shifts that defined the ex-China aluminum recycling sector this month and their immediate implications for global trade flows. The United States: How the 10% Surcharge Disrupts Secondary Aluminum Following the United States Supreme Court’s ruling, which invalidated Trump’s IEEPA tariffs on February 20, 2026, many trade goods found themselves navigating a complicated and chaotic new regulatory landscape. Within hours of the ruling, President Trump pivoted to Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act, levying a 10% blanket global import surcharge that went into effect on February 24, replacing the former country-based tariffs. There have also been threats made by President Trump to raise this surcharge to the statutory maximum of 15%, which could further disrupt global trade and U.S. imports. Even though most primary aluminum products will not see a huge change due to already being burdened by the 50% Section 232 tariffs, the secondary aluminum market, which formerly enjoyed a 0% tariff under Section 232, might now be caught in the newest 10% blanket import surcharge. The US Geological Survey’s Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, published in February 2026, estimated an increase in imported scrap into the US in 2025, reaching roughly 890,000 metric tons, which is approximately a 27% increase compared to 2024. Even though scrap imports only make up roughly 20% of the US’s total scrap consumption, a blanket import surcharge will likely affect a significant portion of total scrap imports for the active period of the Section 122 policy. This is especially true as the policy remains highly volatile and faces the risk of being increased or challenged in the near future. Europe: The "Scrap Leakage" Debate and Impending Export Controls The EU aluminum recycling sector is also on edge following the closure of the EU’s public consultation in late January. Currently, trade measures are widely expected to be unveiled and launched during Spring 2026, aimed at curbing what the EU terms "aluminum scrap leakage." European Aluminum, as one of the biggest supporters of trade measures to control scrap leakage, cites outflows exceeding 1.3 million tons annually that could instead be utilized domestically to meet decarbonization and net-zero targets. In February, the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) released statements opposing these trade measures, stating that "the imposition of export restrictions or trade barriers is fundamentally unnecessary and risks producing significant unintended consequences for the entire value chain." BIR also explained how its own monitoring fails to identify scrap leakage issues, noting that the EU currently has insufficient domestic smelting capacity to absorb the extra scrap that is being exported out of Europe. In the same statement, BIR warned of a probable reduction in domestic aluminum scrap prices and a decline in the overall quality of waste management systems. Similarly, in 2025, the European Recycling Industries' Confederation (EuRIC) published stark warnings against the possible restriction of aluminum scrap exports. In a scenario where all grades of aluminum scrap are restricted from being exported, or if exports are hit with a significant surcharge, the Asian market, especially China, India, and Southeast Asia, all of which are large importers of EU scrap would be heavily impacted. Supply would see significant decreases, and prices outside Europe might climb to new highs as markets adjust to fill the gap, while secondary prices within the EU could drop to new lows due to localized oversupply. Malaysia: The E-Waste Crackdown and Stringent SIRIM Enforcement Following the success of "Ops Metal" in 2025, Malaysia has seen a massive volume of illegal scrap imports seized, amounting to a total value of RM 7 billion. In response to the influx of illegal scrap imports frequently mixed with electronic waste, the Malaysian government implemented an absolute e-waste import ban effective February 4, 2026, in order to curb these environmental violations. While aluminum scrap is still legally allowed to be imported into Malaysia, albeit under strict SIRIM purity requirements, the absolute e-waste ban will inevitably affect certain secondary grades. Notably, Zorba imports will likely see significant increases in transit and processing times, as customs officials are now far more likely to detain such cargoes for exhaustive inspections due to the high probability of e-waste contamination. In the broader picture, the volume of aluminum scrap legally entering Malaysia will likely decrease. Coupled with escalating processing delays at customs, this friction increases the probability that businesses will actively divert their aluminum scrap trade elsewhere in Southeast Asia, such as to Thailand. Conclusion Looking ahead to the second quarter of 2026, the secondary aluminum market will likely remain in a state of flux as these regional policies take full effect. The era of frictionless global scrap trade is rapidly giving way to a localized, highly regulated environment. For remelters and traders, navigating this landscape will require extreme supply chain agility and a hyper-focus on material compliance. As European supply risks being politically landlocked, U.S. raw material imports become suddenly more expensive, and Southeast Asian quality barriers rise, we expect to see continued volatility in regional premiums and a widening decoupling of traditional scrap-to-LME pricing mechanisms in certain regions. Adapting to this fragmented reality will be the defining challenge for the industry in the months to come.

According to foreign media: Recently, Emirates Global Aluminium Spectro Alloys (EGA Spectro Alloys) signed a major contract with Presezzi Extrusion, under which the latter will supply core scrap recycling equipment for the former. This marks an important milestone in the company's ongoing efforts to advance aluminum processing technology. Since 2024, Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) has held an 80% stake in Spectro Alloys. The company is currently further expanding its aluminum recycling capacity in Minnesota, US. In July 2025, the company completed a large-scale expansion, increasing the total annual production of secondary aluminum billets to 120 million pounds.

On April 29, 2025, SMM Senior Director Jin Yu, Secondary Aluminum Head Weiquan Ding, International Recycling Head Xiaoyao Zhang, and Senior Aluminum Analyst Shihao Yang visited Hunan Tonghe New Material Co., Ltd. . They were warmly welcomed by Chairman Jingwei Qiu, Deputy General Manager Shuai Kang Qiu, and their team. Subsequently, both parties engaged in discussions and exchanges on the secondary aluminum market and the development of the non-ferrous metals landscape. Through this discussion, both sides enhanced their mutual understanding and recognition, laying a solid foundation for deepening cooperation and achieving mutual benefits in the future. Company Introduction Sustainable Development of Tonghe There is no such thing as waste in the world, only resources misplaced. Aluminum possesses excellent recyclability, allowing it to be reused multiple times without affecting its performance. The recycling of aluminum does not cause environmental pollution, with energy consumption being less than 5% of that required for primary aluminum production. The industrial process is short, with minimal emissions of harmful gases and dust. From the perspectives of resources, environment, market, as well as social and economic benefits, aluminum recycling is a cause that benefits the present and contributes to future generations. Driven by our pursuit of this noble cause, in 2018, eight companies—Hunan Hengxinrui Nonferrous Metals Co., Ltd., Miluo Ruishen Nonferrous Metals Co., Ltd., Miluo Guixin Nonferrous Metals Co., Ltd., Hunan Boji Nonferrous Metals Co., Ltd., Hunan Xinlong Yunyun Metal Products Co., Ltd., Miluo Xiongjun Nonferrous Metals Co., Ltd., Miluo CNGR Nonferrous Metals Co., Ltd., and Miluo Xiangheng Nonferrous Metals Co., Ltd.—were restructured to form the new Hunan Tonghe New Material Co., Ltd. We invested 200 million yuan in the Miluo Circular Economy Industrial Park in Hunan Province to build a new production facility with an annual capacity of 200,000 mt of die-cast aluminum alloy ingots and secondary aluminum billets. Based on the concept of industrial ecology, we adopted internationally advanced scientific technologies to improve the quality of secondary aluminum while minimizing or even eliminating the adverse environmental impacts of aluminum recycling. A garden-style secondary aluminum plant, surpassing international advanced standards, was established in the Miluo Circular Economy Industrial Park in Hunan. No matter how times change, Tonghe will always adhere to the development philosophy of integrity, conservation, environmental protection, and sustainable operation. We will continue to forge ahead, innovate boldly, and prioritize people, thereby fulfilling our social responsibility of united and harmonious development as Tonghe Company. SMM Contact Person Weiquan Ding 18029344837

[Great Power Energy and Mingtai Al. Sign Cooperation Agreement on Solid-State Batteries, etc.] Today, Henan Mingtai Al. Industrial Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Mingtai Al.") announced in a statement that it had signed a "Strategic Cooperation Framework Agreement" with Guangzhou Great Power Energy & Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Great Power Energy"). Through friendly consultations, the two parties decided to establish a multi-level and all-round strategic partnership in the R&D, product supply, technology development, capacity layout, and other aspects of new-type batteries such as solid-state batteries and sodium-ion batteries. Meanwhile, they would also cooperate in aluminum recycling, leveraging their respective business functions and material collection capabilities to promote the recycling and application of secondary aluminum alloy in the field of new energy batteries. According to the agreement, Great Power Energy would give priority to Mingtai Al.'s products in solid-state battery or other battery projects. The two parties would jointly establish an information communication and resource-sharing mechanism, continuously strengthen technical exchanges and consulting services, and achieve business extension and expansion.

As the world places increasing emphasis on the sustainable use of resources and environmental protection, the status of the secondary metal market within the global metal industry has become increasingly prominent.