Capral chief executive Tony Dragicevich says the aluminium goods manufacturer can charge an extra 5 per cent on products made with low or zero carbon emissions, giving hope to nickel miners lamenting customers’ refusal to pay a “green premium”.

Resources Minister Madeleine King has pushed European counterparts to force their automakers to put a price on sustainability at a time when a glut of carbon-intensive nickel supply from Indonesia has crushed prices for the metal and forced Australian mines to close.