SUNSHINE RecycleFlash Weekly: June 2-6, 2025

June 06, 2025

Silver Surges Past $35/oz Level to Hit a More Than 13-Year High

Silver has soared to the key milestone of $35 per ounce, reaching its highest level in more than 13 years, propelled by robust industrial demand and ongoing supply deficits, analysts said. Spot silver rose 2.5% to $35.82 per ounce as of 1347 GMT, having touched its highest level since February 2012 at $36.08. (Source: Reuters)

Gold Rate Remains Low, Experts Predict Target Price for 2025

Gold prices on Thursday remained on the lower trajectory. Spot gold was steady at $3,373.69 an ounce. U.S. gold futures were down 0.1 percent to $3,397.20. Average gold price seen rising 35 percent to record $3,210/oz in 2025. Central banks worldwide are on track to buy 1,000 metric tons of gold in 2025, which would be their fourth year of massive purchases as they diversify reserves from dollar-denominated assets into bullion, consultancy Metals Focus said. (Source: Economic Times)

Goldman Sachs Raises Its Second-Half 2025 Aluminum Forecast to $2.280/t

Goldman Sachs raised its forecast of aluminium prices for the second half 2025 from $140 per metric tonne to $2,280, citing smaller than expected surpluses on the market. However, they expect prices to fall in early 2026. The bank stated that the impact of trade wars on global activity was less than expected. This led it to increase its global aluminium growth forecast for 2025 from 1.1% to 1.8%.

Goldman Sachs predicts that aluminium prices will fall to a minimum of $2,100 a ton by early 2026. It forecasts that prices will average $2230 in 2026, and $2,500 by 2027. This is down from previous estimates of $2540 and $2800. Goldman Sachs has announced that three 0.5 MTPA smelters are expected to be operational in Indonesia by mid-2026. This is earlier than originally anticipated. The company expects a stronger production will result in the biggest surplus since 2020, a surplus of 1 million tons in 2026.

The bank stated that “Cost deflation” will also put downward pressure on the price of aluminium through 2026 as the alumina and the energy prices continue to be weak and limit the sustained rise in aluminium prices. The bank’s 2026 forecast was maintained, but its 2027 projection was lowered to reflect a slower growth of solar installations in China following recent policy adjustments. (Source: Reuters)

International Paper to Explore Building a New State-of-the-Art Sustainable Packaging Facility in Salt Lake City, Utah

International Paper announced the strategic exploration of a new sustainable packaging facility in Salt Lake City, Utah. The exploration of a prospective new facility is part of International Paper’s strategic growth plans to expand manufacturing capabilities in the United States. The company is eyeing Utah to increase its footprint in the region and better serve customers by meeting the growing demand for high-quality, sustainable packaging. This announcement comes shortly after the company celebrated the groundbreaking of a new state-of-the-art sustainable packaging facility in Waterloo, Iowa. If pursued, this proposed new facility will feature cutting-edge technology and equipment to help enable International Paper’s ability to deliver innovative and sustainable packaging solutions to a growing customer base in the western U.S. Specific information, including capital investment, facility footprint and potential employment opportunities will be shared at the appropriate time as part of the ongoing evaluation process. (Source: PR Newswire)

Nippon Steel, US Seek 8-Day Pause in Litigation to Resolve Deal Concerns

Nippon Steel and the Trump administration on Thursday asked a U.S. appeals court to extend a pause in their litigation for eight days, to give them more time to reach a deal allowing the Japanese firm to buy U.S. Steel for $14.9 billion. The court is likely to approve an extension of the pause, first granted on April 7 when U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a second national security review of the tie-up. That pause was set to expire on June 5. “A continued abeyance is warranted given … the ongoing efforts to reach a resolution that would fully resolve petitioners’ claims,” the companies and the government said in their filing. The request for a short pause signals the companies and the government believe they are closing in on a deal, welcome news for investors who have anxiously followed the deal’s bumpy path since it was announced in December 2023. (Source: Reuters)

Indonesian Nickel Miners Working to Launch Local Metal Exchange in 2026

An Indonesian nickel miners association is preparing a domestic metal exchange for futures contracts for nickel and other metals, aiming for a launch in the first half of 2026, its secretary general said. Indonesia is the world’s biggest producer of nickel and has the largest global reserves. Since 2020, the government has banned exports of nickel ore to attract investment in smelting. More recently, authorities have expressed eagerness to be able to have more influence over nickel prices, which ended 2024 at four-year lows. Nickel miners group APNI has proposed and received approval from the government to set up an Indonesian metal exchange, secretary general Meidy Katrin Lengkey said on the sidelines of the Shanghai Metals Market Indonesia Critical Minerals Conference & Expo. At its initial phase, the exchange will likely handle nickel pig iron contracts, with a plan to expand to other nickel products as well as other metals, Meidy said late on Tuesday. The group is working on the concept and structure of such a bourse, basing them on the system used by existing exchanges like the London Metal Exchange and the Shanghai Futures Exchange. (Source: Reuters)

Alpek Will Cease Operations at Its Pet Facility in North Carolina

Alpek announced the strategic decision to cease operations at its Cedar Creek facility in Fayetteville, North Carolina by July 31, 2025. The site, acquired by Alpek in 2001, has an installed capacity of 170,000 tons of PET resin and approximately 35,000 tons of rPET flake production. The company said that this decision is aligned with Alpek’s long-term strategy to optimize its global footprint and focus on its more competitive and scalable assets. The Company will reallocate its production to continue serving its customers with high quality products and sustainable solutions by leveraging its regional and global network. (Source: Alpek)

Nippon Steel to Invest in Electric Furnaces with Govt Support

Nippon Steel Corp. said that it will invest 868.7 billion yen in introducing electric furnaces at its domestic steel plants, with support from the industry ministry. The ministry announced that it will provide up to 251.4 billion yen in aid for the company’s changeover from blast furnaces. Since the steelmaking process has high carbon-dioxide emissions, steelmakers are now taking measures for decarbonization, including replacing blast furnaces, which use coal and others to make steel, with electric furnaces. Nippon Steel aims to cut its carbon-dioxide emissions by 30 pct in 2030 compared with those in 2013, and realize net zero emissions in 2050. With the government aid, the Japanese steelmaker will promote decarbonization. The company is to spend 630.2 billion yen in installing one electric furnace at its Kyushu Works’ Yawata Area in the city of Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan, 140 billion yen for adding one electric furnace at the Hirohata Area of its Setouchi Works in the city of Himeji in the western prefecture of Hyogo, and 98.5 billion yen in renovating and restarting one existing electric furnace at its Yamaguchi Works in the city of Shunan, Yamaguchi Prefecture, western Japan. (Source: Nippon.com)

Hoffman Sanitation Services Acquires Wildhorse Waste Services

Hoffman Sanitation Services, owned and operated by Stewart Hoffman, has acquired Wildhorse Waste Services, a waste service provider based in Bray, OK. This strategic move marks Hoffmans’ first acquisition of 2025 and its seventh overall. Wildhorse Waste Services has served southwest Oklahoma communities, including Stephens, Jefferson, Comanche, Grady Garvin, Carter and Cotton counties, for more than 15 years. Jennifer and Kenny Sanner own and operate the company with approximately 2,000 residential and commercial customers including polycart, frontload and rolloff accounts. (Source: Hoffman Station)

Mitsubishi Invests in UK-Based DEScycle to Advance Low-Impact Metal Recycling Tech

Mitsubishi Corporation has agreed to invest in DEScycle Ltd., a UK deep-tech startup pioneering environmentally friendly metal recovery technology from electronic waste, as part of a strategic partnership to commercialize sustainable recycling solutions. The deal will see Mitsubishi acquire shares in DEScycle and collaborate on marketing metals extracted through the company’s proprietary process, which uses Deep Eutectic Solvents (DES) to dissolve metals at room temperature, significantly reducing energy use and environmental impact compared to conventional smelting. (Source: Business NewsAsia)

Indian Group Breaks Ground on First Copper, Aluminum Recycling Plant in Morocco

India’s Samta Group has begun construction of a new USD 70 million factory in Kenitra’s Atlantic Free Zone that will be the first ever copper and aluminum recycling plant in Morocco, the company posted on LinkedIn. The Mumbai-based company announced the launch of the new 36,600-square-meter project in late May which will house Samta Metals & Alloys’ (SMA) latest recycling plant. The plant will process 46,000 tons of aluminum and copper scrap annually and is expected to begin operations in 2026. (Source: Barlaman Today)

Trump Escalates Steel and Aluminum Import Duties to 50%

US President Donald Trump has signed an order doubling tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from 25% to 50%. The move hikes import taxes on the metals, which are used in everything from cars to canned food, for the second time since March. Trump has said the measures, which came into effect on Wednesday, are intended to secure the future of the American steel industry. Even as Trump signed the orders, the UK was granted a carve-out from the measures, leaving duties on its steel and aluminium at 25%, a move Trump said reflected its ongoing trade discussions with the US. (Source: BBC News)

Used Tires: Seattle is Taking Action on Illegal Dumping

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) announced that it is increasing enforcement and awareness about the large-scale illegal dumping of used tires – which has grown 82% since 2022. Unlawfully dumped tires harm the environment and threaten public health. As part of the increased enforcement and educational outreach, SPU will: Regularly post photos, when available, on SPU’s blog that show vehicles used in the act of illegally dumping tires. Use data and locations about dumped tires in Seattle to track trends and conduct business and community outreach. Visit commercial tire shops to raise awareness and share photos of vehicles used in the unlawful act. Use information collected and leads to follow up with the Seattle Police Department. (Source: Seattle Public Utilities)

US Tire Manufacturers Reinforce Support for Legislation Boosting Tire Retreading

The U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA) and its members express strong support for H.R.3401 to strengthen domestic tire retreading. The bill, reintroduced by U.S. Representatives Darin LaHood (R-IL) and Emilia Strong Sykes (D-OH), proposes tax credits for fleet purchasers of American-made retreaded commercial tires, aimed at strengthening domestic manufacturing, job creation, and sustainable tire solutions. (Source: US Tire Manufacturers)