News & Press: ARC News Update

The Aluminum Recyclers Council (ARC) supports the Aluminum Association’s assessment that the aluminum industry is crucial to ensure that the manufacturers keep working by producing necessary supplies during the current Coronavirus emergency orders in place. Specifically, in the memo American Aluminum Jobs: Essential to the Nation, the Association stated “local, state and federal governments must ensure that aluminum industry operations and employees are designated as ‘essential’ and exempt from any ‘shelter in place’ orders during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

ARC equally supports the efforts of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI). Our members applaud their letter to Vice President Pence and want to highlight its call requesting, “that all recycling operations across the U.S. be designated “essential” to public health and welfare, as well as to our nation’s economic infrastructure.”

Secondary Aluminum producers provide the much-needed feedstock to aluminum die casters and foundries. Secondary aluminum has a proven track record in many applications and these alloys are used in a number of industries, including medical devices, telecommunications, transportation, defense, and other vital infrastructure applications.

The feedstock for secondary aluminum is nearly one hundred percent recycled aluminum. The secondary aluminum process recycles aluminum scrap into aluminum that can be used again—an environmentally sound process that is 92 percent more energy efficient than primary aluminum production. Aluminum can be infinitely recycled without losing any of its properties. Thus, it is in our nation’s vital interest to maintain operations of these important recycling facilities.

ARC appreciates and recognizes the extraordinary efforts of the administration in attempting to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The Trump administration should identify the aluminum industry and its workers as essential to our national and economic security and provide guidance by exempting them from any “shelter in place” and other orders.

Now is the time for the Trump administration to put the aluminum industry to work during this health crisis and deploy the resources that were deemed vital to our national security by the President.
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