European Aluminium Association

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The EAA is a lobbying, trade, communications and public image body for the aluminium industry. It is based in Brussels, close to the European Parliament.

According to their website:

'The European Aluminium Association (EAA) represents the aluminium industry in Europe. The EAA was founded in 1981. Its members are the European primary aluminium producers, the national associations representing the manufacturers of rolled and extruded products in 18 European countries, the Organisation of European Aluminium Remelters and Refiners (OEA) and the European Aluminium Foil Association (EAFA).'[1]
The overall objective of the EAA is to secure sustainable growth of aluminium in its markets and to maintain and improve the image of the aluminium industry towards target audiences. In order to achieve these objectives the EAA is active in the fields of:
  • Issue monitoring and issue management on topics of common interest;
  • Generic promotion and communication on aluminium;
  • Collection, maintenance and dissemination of European aluminium statistics;
  • Encouraging and initiating studies or research projects and technical co-operation in all relevant areas whether of a scientific, technological, economic, governmental, sociological, legal or any other nature.[2]

Greenwashing and propaganda

The EAA website aims to counter potential and past critique by environmentalists and contains long sections which espouse the environmental excellence of aluminium companies in mining and production.

For example, in an EAA press release Patrick de Schrynmakers, Secretary General of the EAA claims:

"Today we not only know perfectly what resources it takes to produce aluminium, but our knowledge goes far beyond that. Through structural research & development programs our members help manufacturers of many sorts of consumer products reduce their eco-footprint. Through sustainable design and light-weighting, we are committed to making sure that our products can be easily recycled at the end of their use - a major contribution to a greener world."[3]

Lightweight vehicles

The EAA (along with other aluminium trade associations and lobby groups) has been instrumental in pushing the potential use of aluminium to create lighter cars and planes which will therefore be more fuel efficient. This benefit of aluminium has been a central plank in the aluminium industry's climate change strategy, portraying themselves as a clean green metal which will save carbon not create it. Some of the more general critiques of aluminium's green status are made at the Aluminium Federation page.

Dr Dietrich Wieser, Alcoa's Director Business Development Ground Transportation Europe spoke at the European Aluminium Congress in Dusseldorf, Germany in 2009, hailing the benefits of aluminium for lightweighting;

"Aluminum not only offers significant advantages during the use stage of an automobile, but in particular, also in the end-of-life stage...The infinite recyclability of aluminum, together with its high scrap value and the low energy needs during recycling make aluminum lightweight solutions in automotive applications highly desirable." [4]

These assertions fail to mention that aluminium is the most energy intensive metal to produce and has serious climate change implications along the production chain relative to steel (which uses 05% less energy to produce)[5]. Many of the climatic impacts of aluminium production are eveb hidden in lifecycle emissions figures. For example the emissions from hydro-electric dams which much of aluminium smelting relies on [6], and the effects of rainforest and semi-tropical forest destruction for bauxite mining.

In a 2009 EAA position paper on the European Union's European Green Cars Initiative they demonstrate their intention to work closely with policy makers to secure financial and regulatory benefits for increased aluminium in cars.

The aluminium industry welcomes regulatory initiatives aiming at stimulating the demand for low CO2 emitting cars.
EAA’s Automotive and Transport Market Group chairman Roland Harings points out: “Our industry is highly concerned that, in its current shape, the proposal ignores the most straightforward option for emission reductions which is lightweighting, and which can be applied immediately.”
The European Aluminium Association is therefore ready to help legislators amend the proposal towards more technological neutrality. [7]

Secat (Aluminium research body)'s Subodh Das has helped make the argument for increasing aluminium content in cars through his published research, in collaboration with the Center for Aluminum Technology at the University of Kentucky, of which he is director.[8] With the help of academics like Das, the aluminium industry has participated in laying the foundations of the science of Life Cycle Assessment right from the start, working with academia, authorities and the consumer to ensure its success.[9]

Members

Primary Aluminium

Secondary Aluminium

Aluminium Foil


History

Affiliations

Board

Staff


Resources

Notes

  1. ↑ European Aluminium Assoc website OrganisationAccessed 22/04/10
  2. ↑ European Aluminium Assoc website OrganisationAccessed 22/04/10
  3. ↑ EAA Press release [www.eaa.net/en/press-room/press-releases/_doc/399/ 'Aluminum Industry Continues to Add Value to a Greener Europe' June 25, 2009] Accessed 30/04/10
  4. ↑ Business Wire Alcoa Executive Hails Aluminum's Ability for Lightweight Automotive Design That Increases Fuel Efficiency and Reduces Emissions Accessed 30/04/10
  5. ↑ Das, S. and Padel, F. 2010,'Out of this earth: East India Adivasis and the aluminium cartel' Orient Blackswan
  6. ↑ Patrick McCully, International Rivers ReportFizzy Science: Loosening the Hydro Industry's Grip on Reservoir Greenhouse Gas Emissions Research Nov 1st, 2006. Accessed 30/04/10
  7. ↑ European Aluminium Association, Position papers EAA position on EC's Regulation proposal to reduce CO2 emissions from Light Commercial Vehicles 06 November 2009. Accessed 30/04/10
  8. ↑ Subodh Das, C.A. Ungureanu1,I.S. Jawahir, 2007 'Life-cycle Cost Analysis: Aluminum versus Steel in Passenger Cars'in Aluminium Alloys for Transportation, packaging, Aerospace, and Other Applications. Edited by Subodh K. Das and Weimin Yin, The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society, 2007
  9. ↑ EAA Press release [www.eaa.net/en/press-room/press-releases/_doc/399/ 'Aluminum Industry Continues to Add Value to a Greener Europe' June 25, 2009] Accessed 30/04/10
  10. ↑ European Aluminium Assoc website MembersAccessed 22/04/10
  11. ↑ European Aluminium Assoc website MembersAccessed 22/04/10
  12. ↑ European Aluminium Assoc website MembersAccessed 22/04/10
  13. ↑ European Aluminium Assoc website ContactAccessed 22/04/10
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