Recycling aluminum requires significantly less energy compared to producing aluminum from raw materials. It takes about 5% of the energy needed to produce new aluminum from bauxite ore. This energy efficiency is due to the fact that recycling aluminum involves melting down the metal, which requires less energy than the extraction and refining processes involved in primary production. The exact amount of energy saved can vary depending on factors such as the purity of the recycled material and the efficiency of the recycling process, but overall, recycling aluminum is a much more energy-efficient method than mining and refining new aluminum.