The aluminium industry is also being affected by the recession: it is suffering particularly badly from energy costs and the weak economy. In 2023, dramatic declines in production were noticeable in almost all areas of the industry, especially in primary production.

Following a drop of more than 30% in the previous year, production in German smelters fell by a further 45% to 189,000 tonnes. They still produced around a third (37 per cent) of the volume before the energy crisis. The companies in the field of further processing of semi-finished aluminium products also recorded considerable declines of minus 9 per cent. At 2.33 million tonnes, the production volume reached its lowest level since the financial crisis. Manufacturers of extruded products recorded a particularly sharp drop of 15 per cent and the production of rolled products also fell significantly by 7 per cent. While companies are struggling with difficult conditions at their locations, they are also facing increasing competition from importers from third countries with lower environmental, social and ethical standards.

The outlook for 2024 does not promise any improvement so far, and the member companies of Aluminium Deutschland are concerned about the industrial location. Yet aluminium as a material and as an industry is an important driver: "We have repeatedly emphasised that without aluminium, without resilient supply chains and more strategic independence from third countries, the transformation of European industry will not succeed. Furthermore, there is an urgent need to put the importance of industry as a driver of employment and prosperity back at the centre of political decisions. It is not good news if CO2 emissions fall to their lowest level since the 1950s in 2023. This is not the result of a clever energy policy, but the result of a disastrous economic policy," emphasises Rob van Gils, president of Aluminium Deutschland.