Elena Safirova, Sinan Hastorun, Graham Lederer
While Europe’s share of world production of nonferrous metals has decreased over time, the continent’s
absolute levels of production of such metals have remained quite stable. Europe as a region
retains a significant metal processing base, particularly in secondary production. The paper demonstrates
these results through analyses of country- and region-level mineral production data, examines
changes in Europe‘s nonferrous metals production, and outlines major observed trends in Europe’s
mineral production in the 2002 – 2014 time period. Time-series data on European and world
metal production are provided by the National Minerals Information Center (NMIC) of the U.S.
Geological Survey (USGS).
For this analysis, global production data for 10 nonferrous metal commodities, including primary
and secondary production, were compiled. The focus was on commodities for which Europe has
historically accounted for a significant share of world production. In particular, USGS data were
used to demonstrate the changing role of the European continent globally in the extraction and processing
of aluminum, copper, lead, platinum group metals, titanium, and zinc. Sub-regional trends
within Europe were analyzed and compared with metallurgical trends observed in the rest of the
world.
The paper is organized as follows. First, geographic definitions are provided to clarify the classification
of data for European countries. Then, 10 distinct metallurgical products, including primary
and secondary production, are analyzed. By examining trends in production between 2002 and
2014, the questions of Europe’s changing role in the global production of nonferrous metals are
addressed and continental and intra-European trends that may set certain countries apart are determined.
Also, ongoing changes in the supply of raw materials used for production of nonferrous
metals on regional and global levels are examined.