Laura Varriale

Key takeaways Guinea policy uncertainty is driving volatility: Expectations of export controls are reshaping sentiment across bauxite and alumina markets despite no firm policy announcement. Hormuz disruption is forcing trade reshuffles: Alumina supply chains have been rapidly reworked, pushing material toward China and away from the Middle East. Higher logistics costs are feeding into prices: Rising freight and bunker fuel costs are providing price support even amid oversupply concerns.

While policymakers push for greater adoption of lower-carbon metals, the global market for green steel and aluminium is still evolving unevenly. The IAA puts the focus on supporting the uptake of lower carbon emission steel and aluminium, markets that have so far seen several hurdles not only in Europe, but globally. Fastmarkets rounds up key points of the current low-carbon steel and aluminium markets across different regions.

The European steel industry is undergoing fundamental policy shifts aimed at supporting domestic companies, but steelmakers in the region have increasingly found themselves caught between the timelines of their own decarbonization commitments and an unfavorable market environment.