Aluminum is a strong, lightweight metal suitable for many consumer product applications. While the eco-impact of virgin aluminum is quite high, it is one of the worlds most recycled metals, and recycled aluminum is widely and cheaply available in recycled form.
Eco-Pro: Aluminum is essentially infinitely recyclable, and very robust collection and recycling infrastructures exist for it in many part of the world. It is very lightweight for the strength and rigitity that it provides, which saves fuel during transportation.
Eco-Con: The production of virgin aluminum involves mining processes that cause a considerable amount of damage to the environment.
Question the Premise of the Material: Why specifically you using Aluminum? If it's for the strength-to-weight ratio, maybe cleveryl formed sheet steel could do the trick (steel is recycled even more than aluminum). Stainless steel has similar corosion resistance to aluminum.
Alternatives: Stainless steel
Processes:
Same Material, Better Process: Recycled aluminum from places like (____________)
