Aluminium
Scrap Content and Alloy Proof for Aluminium
Scrap content and alloy proof for the aluminium DPP: primary and secondary share, pre- and post-consumer scrap, EN 573 designation and ASI chain of custody
The aluminium delegated act is indicative 2027 in the ESPR Working Plan, with the obligation estimated at 2028–2029. In this sector the most valuable passport field is the secondary-metal share: aluminium made from scrap needs far less energy than primary metal, and buyers price that in. A "high scrap share" claim, however, is only as strong as the charge record of the cast house that made the metal.
The DPP for aluminium explained why route and energy source are decisive. This article goes one level down: how scrap share and alloy are proven per cast, and how extruders, rollers and cast houses pass that proof downstream.
Primary, secondary and the mix in between
Primary aluminium is produced from ore by electrolysis; its embodied carbon depends mostly on the smelter's electricity source and is quoted in the literature across a wide range of roughly 4 to 20 t CO2e per tonne.
In practice most casts are a mix of the two: the cast house dilutes scrap with primary ingot and master alloys to hit the alloy specification. The share is therefore a per-cast number rather than an annual average; the passport carries either that cast's share or the mass balance of a defined period. For the method options see how to prove recycled content.
Proving the scrap share: the charge record
The charge record lists every material that enters the furnace with its tonnage: scrap grade and source, primary ingot, master alloys, returning in-house scrap. The evidence chain starts here and must preserve two distinctions.
The first is pre-consumer versus post-consumer. Post-consumer scrap comes from end-of-life products (window profiles, beverage cans, vehicle parts); pre-consumer scrap is production waste (extrusion butt ends, rolling edge trim). Under the ISO 14021 definition, material reused within the same process does not count as recycled content; declaring the butt ends returning from your own press as secondary share is a greenwashing risk. See Green Claims and greenwashing.
The second is the scrap supplier's document. A post-consumer claim rests on the grade and origin record of the facility that collected and sorted the scrap; without it the declaration stays at "mixed scrap" level.
Alloy proof: EN 573 and the spectrometer
The alloy designation has two layers. EN 573 gives wrought alloys a numerical designation (for example EN AW-6060) and a chemical-symbol designation (EN AW-AlMgSi); the numerical part is aligned with the Aluminum Association's four-digit system. Casting alloys have a separate designation system. It tells you the series (1xxx, 3xxx, 5xxx, 6xxx) and the composition limits.
The proof is an optical emission spectrometer analysis per cast: the cast house samples every cast, measures the composition and records conformity with the specification. In the passport this analysis is both the evidence for the alloy field and the input for a recycler's sorting decision; once series are mixed, the material can only drop down to casting alloy. See circularity and recyclability data.
Evidence sources
| Claim | Evidence | Who produces it |
|---|---|---|
| Secondary metal share | Per-cast charge record, period mass balance | Cast house, remelter |
| Post-consumer share | Scrap grade and origin document | Scrap supplier, cast house |
| Alloy | EN 573 designation, cast analysis report | Cast house laboratory |
| Chain of custody | ASI chain-of-custody certificate and shipping document | Certified facilities |
| Embodied carbon | Installation energy data, CBAM emissions calculation | Installation, verifier |
| Primary metal source | Supplier declaration, smelter energy source | Primary producer |
The ASI (Aluminium Stewardship Initiative) chain-of-custody standard documents material flows between certified facilities; on its own it does not prove the scrap share, but it shows that the charge record has passed independent audit. On the CBAM side aluminium is in scope and installation emissions data is already verified; see CBAM's definitive period and the product carbon footprint guide.
Passing it downstream: profiles, foil, wheels
Most producers of profiles, sheet, foil and wheels exporting from Türkiye to the EU do not make primary metal; they buy billet or slab, or remelt scrap in their own cast house. The evidence chain runs like this: the cast number starts on the billet, carries into the extrusion or rolling lot and travels to the customer on the shipping document with alloy, scrap share and carbon per tonne. For keeping the number alive along the route see heat-number batch traceability.
A plant that buys billet asks its supplier for the evidence: a per-cast charge summary, the alloy analysis and, where available, the chain-of-custody document. To turn that request into a standard template see collecting data from suppliers.
Frequently asked questions
How is recycled content proven for aluminium?
With a per-cast charge record and a period mass balance; for a post-consumer claim, the scrap supplier's grade and origin document is added.
Does in-house scrap count as recycled content?
Under the ISO 14021 definition, material reused within the same process does not. Until the delegated act brings a different definition, keeping that distinction is the safest route.
Is ASI certification mandatory for an aluminium DPP?
No; there is no draft delegated act yet and no specific certificate requirement is expected. ASI chain of custody is nevertheless strong evidence that scrap-share and origin declarations have passed independent audit.
