It currently takes around 13.5 MWh of electricity to produce one ton of primary aluminium.

Concentrating solely on primary production, however, overlooks the fact that the energy used remains stored in the metal and is "reactivated" during the recycling process. As a result of the low melting point (660°C), only 5 % of the energy originally used is required to recycle aluminium.

Over and above these processes for recycling manufacturing and operating materials, an efficient aluminium recycling industry has been recycling aluminium for decades. In 2003, worldwide production of recycled aluminium amounted to 7.7 million tons (EU 2.4 million tons, Germany 680,400 tons) or around 25 % of the total aluminium production that year (approx. 75 % was accounted for by primary aluminium). This proportion is on the increase in most industrial countries.