A new report from consulting firm McKinsey & Co. suggests that a large portion of aluminum scrap is not being efficiently recycled. The firm said that 68% of aluminum scrap is from post-consumer sources, with 51% collected in a mixed format.

McKinsey's research indicates that this mixed scrap is often "downcycled," leading to the loss of high-value alloys. To address this, the firm recommends better sorting practices and the use of technologies such as X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray transmission (XRT), and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS).

Improving sorting is seen as crucial for expanding secondary aluminum production, which is essential for reaching net-zero emissions targets, as recycling aluminum takes far less energy to produce than primary aluminum.