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October, 2025
Our Decarbonisation Roadmap is the Compass Guiding us Toward Carbon Neutrality By 2050
AL Circle: Assan Alüminyum is one of Europe’s two largest aluminium foil producers, with an installed capacity of around 130,000 tonnes and total flat-rolled capacity of 360,000 tonnes. In today’s environment of raw material volatility and shifting demand across packaging, automotive, and HVAC, how has Assan Alüminyum’s production mix and sourcing strategy adapted in 2025?
Göksal GÜNGÖR: At Assan Alüminyum, our ability to adapt quickly has always been a core strength. With a total flat rolled aluminium production capacity of 360,000 tons and being one of Europe’s two largest foil producers, we are able to balance demand shifts across packaging, automotive, HVAC and industrial markets with great flexibility. In the face of raw material volatility, we leverage our integrated recycling operations and our long-term sourcing agreements to minimise risks. At the same time, our continuous casting technology expertise allows us to optimise production mix rapidly, with innovative solutions, ensuring that we remain a reliable partner to our customers regardless of market fluctuations. This agility, combined with our scale, secures our leading position in the flatrolled aluminium industry.
AL Circle: You’ve achieved full Scope 2 emissions neutrality through renewable energy production (Manavgat hydro, Karaman solar) and I-REC certification. Given rising energy prices and the EU’s CBAM pressure, how much of a competitive shield are these green investments? Do you have metrics on cost savings or market access gains from green credentials?
Göksal GÜNGÖR: Our renewable energy portfolio, including our Manavgat hydroelectric power plant, Karaman solar power plant and the International Renewable Energy Certificates (I-RECs) we obtain and procure as a result enables us to achieve full Scope 2 neutrality. These investments are also key pillars of our Decarbonisation Roadmap, where we aim to become carbon-neutral by 2050. This certainly gives us a competitive advantage as not many flat rolled aluminium producers have such a diversified renewable energy investment portfolio, allowing for the offsetting of emissions. We could therefore conclude that our renewable energy investments directly contribute to our sustainability strategies, therefore reflecting positively onto the value we add to the products and services we offer our customers.
AL Circle: Assan Alüminyum’s integrated recycling facility has pushed internal and external scrap usage up by 45 per cent over the last seven years, and your ‘3423 and 6005A recycling-friendly alloys’ claims up to 95 per cent lower energy use and 50 per cent lower carbon footprint vs primary aluminium. How much have these innovations shifted your overall scrap ratio, and will they open new market segments or customer premiums through ALUEXPO’s platform?
Göksal GÜNGÖR: Recycling is another cornerstone of our Decarbonisation Roadmap. Over the last seven years, our integrated recycling facility has increased our internal and external scrap usage by 45 per cent, and our recycling-friendly, low-carbon products are a strong demonstration of how circularity can drive decarbonisation. With up to 95 per cent lower energy consumption and 50 per cent lower carbon footprint compared to primary aluminium, these products enable us to both raise our overall scrap ratio and unlock new opportunities in sectors where low-carbon aluminium becomes increasingly more significant. One of the main challenges we are faced with is the availability of scrap in the markets, which we strive to overcome with diversification of our procurement portfolio and a consistent search for more suitable resources. ALUEXPO is an important platform where we share our sustainability-oriented activities with our business partners and offer customised solutions for like-minded business partners that aim to become more and more circular.
AL Circle: With the largest continuous casting capacity in Europe and the Americas, how has this capability enabled Assan Alüminyum to better respond to market volatility, like skirting spot aluminium price swings or meeting specific foil/coil demands?
Göksal GÜNGÖR: We are very happy to have the largest continuous casting capacity in Europe and the Americas. This capability gives us unmatched flexibility to respond to market demands, when it’s complemented with our innovative and tailor-made solutions. It allows us to cater to customer expectations in an agile way, while managing our risks through hedging all of our operations back-to-back, without being overly exposed to LME price swings. Assan Alüminyum’s risks are being managed in line with ISO 31000 Risk Management System, backed with a strong financial management.
AL Circle: You were the first in Türkiye’s aluminium sector to report through CDP and achieved ASI Performance Standard certification across your facilities. Beyond being a sustainability milestone, have these credentials produced measurable business benefits?
Göksal GÜNGÖR: We were the first aluminium company in Türkiye to report through CDP, which demonstrates our commitment to transparency in reporting carbon emissions, water security and climate change risks. By disclosing through CDP, we align ourselves with international best practices and provide our stakeholders with the data they need to evaluate our performance.
Furthermore, achieving Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) Performance Standard certification across all our facilities ensures that our operations meet rigorous global benchmarks in environmental, social and governance practices. These milestones are not only symbolic but also highly practical—many global customers now require transparent reporting and such sustainability benchmarks as a prerequisite for supply. It would be safe to say that these initiatives strengthen trust with stakeholders, customers and employees alike.
AL Circle: Assan Alüminyum exports to over 70 countries, directly or via Kibar Americas in Chicago. Do you expect that ALUEXPO will enable a stronger momentum from prospective buyers, especially for flat-rolled, sustainably produced aluminium?
Göksal GÜNGÖR: With exports to over 70 countries and a strong local presence through Kibar Americas in Chicago, we are already a global company that is able to give localised service. As ALUEXPO is the most important meeting point of the Eurasian aluminium industry, it is an important platform, where we are able to meet our existing business partners to discuss future plans and collaborations, while further enhancing our reach through potential customers. Industry stakeholders who attend the fair are increasingly seeking sustainable, high-quality aluminium products, and this plays directly to our strengths. By showcasing our broad flat-rolled portfolio, our renewable energy achievements, our recycling-friendly, low-carbon products andour Decarbonisation Roadmap, we expect to build stronger momentum with prospective customers who value both scale and responsibility.
AL Circle: Your “Biodiversity Preservation Project” (with Kocaeli University), support for women’s cooperatives in Manavgat, and children’s theatre illustrate a broader sustainability scope. How do these social ESG efforts intersect with your commercial objectives, like brand building, stakeholder relations, or even employee engagement?
Göksal GÜNGÖR: We believe sustainability must encompass environmental, social and governance dimensions. Our Biodiversity Preservation Project with Kocaeli University, our
support for women’s cooperatives in Manavgat, our children’s theatre project and our continuous tree planting efforts all reflect our holistic approach. These efforts strengthen our bond with the communities where we operate, enhance employee engagement by fostering diversity, and contribute to brand trust globally. For us, these projects are not separate from business—they are integral to building a resilient, future-ready company culture that resonates with all stakeholders, from customers to employees.
AL Circle: What do you feel will define leadership in the flat-rolled aluminium sector in the near future — scale and reliability, eco-performance, alloy specialisation, or perhaps integrated circularity?
Göksal GÜNGÖR: Leadership in our industry will be defined by the ability to combine scale with sustainability. Reliability of supply remains a baseline expectation, but what will differentiate the true leaders will be their eco-performance, their ability to innovate through R&D and recycling technologies, and their integration of circularity into the value chain. At Assan Alüminyum, our Decarbonisation Roadmap is the compass guiding us toward carbon neutrality by 2050. Coupled with our continuous casting technology, recycling expertise, and renewable energy investments, it positions us to lead the transformation of the aluminium industry toward a more sustainable and competitive future.
