Calls to recognise aluminium in CO2 standards

The European Aluminium and the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) have jointly called on the European Parliament and the Council to ensure that European aluminium is eligible alongside steel under the material-credit mechanism proposed in the revision of Regulation (EU) 2019/631, proposal 2025/0420 (COD).

They argue that both materials should be eligible within a single, technology-neutral compensation mechanism and subject to robust, harmonised carbon-intensity thresholds and verification rules.

They add that these criteria should be consistent with the methodologies being developed for both steel and aluminium under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) and the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA).

According to groups, this approach would give car manufacturers greater flexibility in meeting their regulatory obligations, support European lead markets for low-carbon materials and preserve the ability of automotive engineers to select the most appropriate material for each application.