Alumat Recycling
In pursuit of the Paris climate agreement goals and limiting global temperature increases to below 1.5 degrees, a transition to decarbonized energy systems, circular production, and resource recycling is imperative. Alumat aims to lead in fostering a circular economy, contributing significantly to the green transition. Learn more about why aluminum is an ideal material for the circular economy.
Aluminium Scrap Sustaining Material Circularity
In an increasingly unpredictable world with disrupted global supply chains, ensuring access to safe and reliable raw material streams becomes crucial. Keeping materials, products, or services in circulation for as long as possible enhances the resilience of our value chains and minimizes waste. Transparent information about the origin and production of products is essential. When materials or products reach their end-of-life, proper recycling ensures they are transformed into new products.
Aluminum’s Recycling Advantages
Aluminum stands out as an infinitely recyclable material, retaining its qualities no matter how many times it undergoes recycling. Termed a “permanent material,” aluminum’s recycling process consumes 95% less energy than its initial production, making it an ideal metal for the circular and low-carbon economy.
Recycled Aluminum Varieties
Despite the recyclability of aluminum, not all recycled aluminum is equal. Understanding the carbon footprint of recycled aluminum requires distinguishing between post-consumer and pre-consumer scrap. Post-consumer scrap, derived from used products like windows or car parts, has a near-zero carbon footprint as its emissions have already been accounted for. On the other hand, recycled aluminum from production scrap or “pre-consumer” scrap retains the carbon footprint of its original production process.
Transparency in Action
At Alumat, we advocate for transparent reporting of the actual footprint of recycled aluminum, emphasizing the importance of distinguishing between post-consumer and pre-consumer scrap. Greenwashing, or overstating environmental facts, is counterproductive, and true transparency is key to supporting the circular transition.
Certified Low-Carbon and Recycled Offerings
Alumat has introduced certified low-carbon and recycled aluminum offerings to minimize the carbon footprint of our products while ensuring safe and responsible production. Additionally, we are actively testing a blockchain pilot to trace our products’ journeys throughout the value chain and their life cycle, promoting circularity and transparency in showcasing the carbon footprint and recycled content of our aluminum.
Designing for Recycling
Given aluminum’s infinite recyclability without quality loss, designing products for easy disassembly and recycling is crucial. Material selection and design choices during the early phases significantly influence a product’s sustainability. Through Alumat EcoDesign, products gain increased functionality and smaller environmental footprints.
Innovation through Partnerships
Collaborating with forward-leaning customers, Alumat strives to decarbonize major industries globally and lead the way toward a net-zero society. Recycling post-consumer scrap is a swift pathway to achieving aluminum with a zero CO2 footprint in industrial-scale production by 2030. Our advanced recycling technology, including sorting, shredding, and melting, allows us to recycle challenging types of post-consumer scraps, contributing to the production of near-zero emission aluminum.
Alumat’s Recycling Operations
Alumat’s recycling operations consist of 25 recyclers across Europe, the United States, and Canada for our Aluminum Metal and Extrusions business areas. With ongoing greenfield projects in Cassopolis, Michigan, and Szekesfehervar, Hungary, the total capacity is set to reach approximately 2 million metric tonnes per year when completed. These operations emphasize our commitment to advancing sustainable practices in aluminum recycling.
