UAE opens largest aluminium recycling plant to drive circular economy

ABU DHABI – Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) has inaugurated the UAE’s largest aluminium recycling plant, a landmark industrial project that underscores the country’s ambitions to become a global leader in sustainable manufacturing while strengthening its circular economy and expanding domestic value creation.

Located at Al Taweelah in Abu Dhabi, the new facility has an annual production capacity of 185,000 tonnes and is expected to transform the way aluminium scrap generated in the UAE is processed, ending the long-standing practice of exporting significant volumes of scrap overseas for recycling.

The project marks a strategic shift for the country's aluminium industry by enabling waste aluminium to be converted locally into high-value products, strengthening industrial supply chains, boosting manufacturing's contribution to gross domestic product and supporting the UAE's broader economic diversification strategy.

The plant reflects a wider national drive to deepen local manufacturing and reduce reliance on overseas processing in line with the "Make it in the Emirates" initiative and the “Operation 300bn” industrial strategy, which aims to significantly increase the manufacturing sector's contribution to the economy.

Officials said the project also represents a major step in implementing the UAE's circular economy strategy. Aluminium is one of the few industrial metals that can be recycled indefinitely without losing its technical properties, allowing resources to be reused instead of discarded while extending the metal's life cycle and reducing demand for virgin raw materials.

Recycling aluminium requires up to 95 percent less energy than producing primary aluminium from bauxite ore, dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions and supporting the UAE's climate commitments.

"Recycling is the cornerstone of the UAE's circular economy policy," Minister of Climate Change and Environment Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak said at the inauguration ceremony.

"Aluminium represents one of our greatest opportunities to drive this transition from a linear to a circular model of production. It is infinitely recyclable, protecting our ecosystems while fuelling a sustainable, low-carbon economy."

The launch comes as global demand accelerates for low-emission metals from industries including electric vehicles, aerospace, construction and advanced technology, where manufacturers are increasingly prioritising products with smaller carbon footprints.

The Al Taweelah facility produces low-carbon aluminium billets and T-bars from post-consumer and selected pre-consumer aluminium scrap under EGA's RevivAL brand. The company also combines recycled aluminium with primary aluminium produced using solar energy, marketed as CelestiAL-R, and nuclear-generated aluminium sold under the MinimAL-R brand.

The move positions EGA to compete not only on production capacity and cost, but increasingly on sustainability credentials, an area that has become a decisive factor in European and North American markets.

The scale of the project also highlights the growing sophistication of the UAE's industrial sector.

Construction required four million work hours and was completed without a single injury. The project used more than 26,300 cubic metres of concrete, equivalent to the volume of more than ten Olympic-sized swimming pools, and over 4,600 tonnes of structural steel, nearly two-thirds of the iron weight of the Eiffel Tower.

Although the plant began producing recycled aluminium in February, final commissioning was temporarily suspended following the Iranian attack on Khalifa Economic Zone Abu Dhabi on March 28 before resuming in April. Production restarted in early May, with full operating capacity expected to be reached within six months, subject to scrap availability.

EGA Chief Executive Officer Abdulnasser Bin Kalban described the project as a major milestone in the company's strategy to build a global aluminium recycling business.

"This new plant turns aluminium waste generated in the UAE and elsewhere into new aluminium that makes modern life possible around the world," he said.

"With this project, we have added a new industrial activity to EGA's operations in the UAE, in line with ‘Make it in the Emirates’ and the UAE's ‘Operation 300bn’ industrial growth strategy."

Beyond the domestic market, the Al Taweelah facility forms part of EGA's broader international expansion in aluminium recycling.

Following acquisitions in Germany and the United States in 2024, the company is expanding both operations while pursuing the acquisition of an 80 per cent stake in Italian recycling company Eco Green, subject to regulatory approval.

With the new UAE plant and its overseas operations, EGA's recycling capacity now exceeds 400,000 tonnes annually across the UAE, Europe and the United States. A further 200,000 tonnes of annual capacity is under development through expansion projects in Germany and the United States.

The international growth strategy signals the UAE's ambition not only to develop an advanced domestic manufacturing base but also to establish itself as a significant global player in sustainable metals, capitalising on its industrial expertise and expanding overseas investment network.

Industry analysts say the Al Taweelah project represents more than an increase in production capacity. It reflects the UAE's transition towards a more resource-efficient industrial model that maximises domestic value creation, reduces emissions and strengthens the country's competitive position in the rapidly growing global green economy.