Why is Aditya Birla Group the largest greenfield Indian investor in the US?

Not many are aware that Aditya Birla Group was the first India-born company to go transnational. In 1969, Mr Aditya Vikram Birla set up Indo Thai Synthetics in Thailand, marking a proud post-independence moment where an Indian company expanded its footprint on the world stage. Since then, the Group has spread to 41 countries, with multiple acquisitions across metals, pulp and fibre, carbon black, cement and more.

Among these, the US is a key market for the Group. Aditya Birla Group is in the unique position of being the largest Indian greenfield investor in the world’s biggest economy.

The latest entrant to the Group’s portfolio is AluChem Companies, Inc, a leading US producer of Specialty Alumina. Acquired by Hindalco Industries in June 2025, this milestone marks the first Indian entry into the ultra-low soda and tabular alumina segments—high-performance materials that are crucial to advanced industrial applications.

The AluChem acquisition, which adds three US facilities to the Group manufacturing footprint, further strengthens the Group’s substantial investments in the US.  
 

Expanding horizons in a strategic market

As an economic powerhouse, the US serves as a strategic growth hub for Aditya Birla Group. “Our commitment to global expansion is driven by our pursuit of excellence and the desire to create a meaningful impact in every region we operate,” noted Mr Kumar Mangalam Birla in a recent media interaction up on being conferred the Global Leadership Award at the 2025 USISPF Leadership Summit in Washington, DC, in recognition of his contribution to strengthening US-India business ties. “At Aditya Birla Group, we believe that the United States is an incredibly attractive location for long-term investment, and we are very proud to be the largest Indian investor in the US.”   
 

At home in the US

The Group’s first entry on US soil dates back to 2007, when Hindalco acquired Novelis, a loss-making aluminium rolling company. Today, Novelis alone has grown into an $17 billion enterprise making its mark as a world leader in aluminium recycling and circular manufacturing.

In 2020, Hindalco-Novelis acquired Aleris Corporation, which catapulted its holding company, Hindalco, to one of the world’s largest aluminium companies, and added premium downstream metal capabilities, especially in high end aerospace aluminium.

The $2.5 billion Bay Minette project by Novelis is the first fully integrated, low-carbon recycling and rolling aluminium plant built in the United States in nearly 40 years. The highly advanced facility will have an initial 600 kilotonnes of finished aluminium goods capacity per year. More than half of the capacity of the new facility will be used to serve growing demand for aluminium beverage can sheet in North America, which is driven by consumer preference for more sustainable packaging.  

Check out this brief video update on the Bay Minette project: https://novelis.com/bay-minette-project-reaches-major-milestones-in-q2-2025/ 
 

June chemistry

The month of June 2025 marked another significant US acquisition. Aditya Birla Chemicals (USA) Inc acquired Cargill’s 17-acre specialty chemicals plant in Dalton, Georgia. The unit delivers tailored, high-quality solutions under its renowned Epotec® epoxy resins and CTP brands, “This acquisition represents Aditya Birla Group’s strategic entry into the US chemicals industry, extending the business model of our other successful manufacturing businesses in the United States, including Novelis and Birla Carbon,” said Mr Birla in a statement issued to the press. 
 

Carbon Black magic

A big boost to the Group’s US presence came through Birla Carbon’s acquisition of Columbian Chemicals in 2011. Today, with two manufacturing units and a technology centre in the country, Birla Carbon is a global leader in carbon-based solutions and a front-runner in sustainable innovation.

A recent partnership with Circtec brings cutting-edge recycling to the forefront, commercialising Continua™, Birla Carbon’s pioneering sustainable carbonaceous material derived by recycling end-of-life tyres. 
 

Trading around the world

The US is also a strong centre for Aditya Birla Global Trading (formerly Swiss Singapore Overseas Enterprises Pte Ltd), one of the most diversified commodities traders in the world. Present in 24 countries, the company handles 30+ different commodities across agri products, agri-inputs, energy and metals.   
 

A deep commitment to sustainability

What’s noteworthy is that across all its US operations, Aditya Birla Group has embedded sustainability at the core of its strategy:

• Novelis recycles over 84 billion aluminium cans annually, dramatically reducing energy consumption and emissions. In nearly four decades, the Bay Minette project is the first integrated, low-carbon aluminium recycling and rolling plant built in the US.
• Birla Carbon has pledged net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and is driving innovations in sustainable material use.
• Aditya Birla Chemicals is progressing toward water neutrality and reducing its overall environmental footprint. 
   

Not only does Aditya Birla Group stand tall as India’s largest investor in the US, its robust presence across critical sectors such as metals, carbon black and chemicals reflects not just a business expansion, but a deep commitment to innovation, sustainability, and local economic growth.