Metlen plans to invest nearly €25 million in EP.AL.ME., its aluminum recycling and billet manufacturing facility in Piraeus, Greece. The strategic investment will expand the use of recycled aluminum and further strengthen its role in the European aluminum industry.
The project will include the installation of modern, highly automated sorting, processing and melting equipment, providing the plant with new capabilities. It will enable EP.AL.ME. to handle more complex aluminum scrap streams, including new categories of post-consumer scrap that, until now, have been difficult to incorporate efficiently into production.
In this way, the strategic significance of the investment extends beyond increasing the use of recycled aluminum. METLEN will be able to move closer to the source of scrap supply, gaining access to larger volumes of less processed material and enhancing internal value creation through technology, expertise and industrial synergies.
In addition, the investment will create strong synergies with the Aluminium of Greece smelter, which provides the production scale and metallurgical flexibility required to incorporate demanding recycled-metal streams into high-value products. The two facilities —one producing primary aluminum and the other secondary aluminum — therefore operate in a complementary manner as a single integrated production system.
This operational synergy also has a significant environmental dimension. Aluminum recycling is a key driver of energy and production efficiency, as it requires approximately 5% of the energy needed to produce primary metal. Greater use of recycled aluminum helps reduce the environmental footprint, conserve natural resources and support more sustainable industrial production.
Overall, once fully developed, the project is expected to increase total production to more than 250,000 tonnes and improve profit margins at both plants, demonstrating that the use of recycled aluminum can deliver environmental, industrial, and economic benefits simultaneously.
Metlen’s strategy to develop an even more vertically integrated and competitive production model also aligns with the European Union’s priorities for industrial resilience, strategic autonomy and the circular economy. Under the Critical Raw Materials Act and the Clean Industrial Deal, making better use of aluminum scrap helps retain raw materials and added value within Europe.