Speira completes €40 million aluminium recycling investment in Neuss

Speira has commissioned a new aluminium recycling furnace at its Rheinwerk facility in Neuss, Germany, completing an investment of approximately €40 million. The furnace has an annual capacity of around 60,000 tonnes and will primarily process used beverage cans into recycled aluminium for new products.

The investment also includes upgrades to one of the site's four casting lines for recycled alloys and additional storage capacity for 6,500 tonnes of can scrap. The storage and scrap-handling facilities have been installed in 300-metre-long halls formerly used for primary aluminium production.

The new furnace is hydrogen-ready, allowing it to operate with hydrogen once the Rheinwerk is connected to a suitable supply network.

Expansion driven by beverage can demand

Growing demand for recycled aluminium in the beverage can industry is a major driver of the investment. Energy drink producer Red Bull is among Speira's customers, using beverage cans manufactured from the company's recycled aluminium.

According to Speira, recycling aluminium requires approximately 95% less energy than producing primary aluminium. The additional capacity is intended to reduce reliance on energy-intensive primary material while keeping more aluminium scrap within Europe's industrial supply chain.

"With the new facilities, we are creating the conditions to keep significantly more aluminium in the loop and to provide our customers with additional quantities of recycled aluminium," said Speira CEO Einar Glomnes.

Rheinwerk continues transition from primary production

The investment forms part of a longer-term transformation of Rheinwerk from a primary aluminium production site into a recycling and processing centre.

"Ten years ago, together with our team, we set out on a path to systematically reposition the Rheinwerk towards recycling," said Boris Kurth, Head of Speira's Can Business Unit.

The new facilities were officially inaugurated on 9 October 2026 in the presence of North Rhine-Westphalia's Minister for Economic Affairs, Mona Neubaur, and regional government representatives.

Speira expects the expanded recycling infrastructure to strengthen its supply of low-carbon aluminium for beverage packaging and other industrial applications, while supporting European efforts to retain valuable aluminium scrap within the region.

Source and Photo: Speira