The increasing environmental concerns are emerging in diverse sectors with the rising shift to low-carbon use. Similar action is seen within the global aluminium industry, where Capral, a leading provider of aluminium products and solutions across Australia, is on the road to launch new lower-carbon aluminium options.
New innovation
Capral is set to launch a new lower-carbon aluminium sheet offering this month, featuring an embodied carbon footprint of approximately six tonnes of CO₂ per tonne of aluminium. The sheets will be made available in standard two-and three-millimetre thicknesses, providing the market with an accessible, sustainable alternative for a wide range of applications. The enhanced LocAl® range will expand the range of sustainable supply chain solutions available to the manufacturing sector, offering greater value for businesses seeking to reduce their environmental impact.
The organisation has developed its proprietary lower-carbon aluminium rolled product line, LocAl, achieving a significant reduction in carbon intensity through two distinct approaches. According to Luke Hawkins, General Manager of Capral Aluminium's Industrial Division, one of these strategies focuses on optimising the energy source used during the manufacturing process.
Owing to this, Luke Hawkins, General Manager of Capral Aluminium's Industrial Division, stated, "On the spectrum of energy that is used to produce this aluminium, it's really coal power on one side and renewables on the other. Burning coal as a source of energy produces more CO2 emissions per tonne of aluminium in the production process compared to hydroelectric power, so using a cleaner source to produce aluminium will result in cleaner aluminium itself."
The second key approach to reducing carbon emissions in the organisation's now widely adopted LocAl® product involves the utilisation of recycled aluminium. According to the company, producing recycled aluminium consumes 95 per cent less electricity compared to primary aluminium, delivering substantial sustainability benefits for both Capral and its end users.
Collaboration with Versalux
Back in 2024, Versalux Lighting Systems, a prominent Australian lighting manufacturer, adopted Capral Aluminium's LocAl® Green low-carbon aluminium for its key product lines, including the INFINITI and VERSATUBE luminaires, underlining its growing emphasis on sustainability and embodied‑carbon reduction in commercial applications.
According to Versalux Director Greg Warner, architects and clients now demand deeper environmental credentials beyond operational efficiency, prompting the switch to Capral's certified low‑carbon extrusions. The firm's LocAl® Green aluminium offers 8 kg CO₂e/kg Al and is part of a broader supply chain commitment to responsible sourcing and ASI certification. This strategic move positions Versalux at the forefront of eco‑driven innovation in the lighting sector.
While onshore aluminium recycling capacity in Australia remains limited, Capral has proactively addressed this challenge by collaborating with trusted partners such as Boyne Smelters to strengthen its low-carbon sourcing strategy.
Also read: Capral's LocAl® low carbon aluminium gets chosen by Fin Windows for a sustainable portfolio
Luke Hawkins further adds, "We completed recycling trials with Boyne Smelters in 2020. In more recent times, we did some recycling trials with them on closed loop billets. These were produced in Queensland and supplied to us, and the scrap that was produced through the process was fed back to the Boyne smelter in Queensland, resmelted and resupplied to ourselves."
Collaboration with Stormtech
Launched in 2022, the firm's LocAl® range introduced aluminium solutions with significantly reduced carbon emissions per tonne, setting a new benchmark in sustainable material offerings. Since its introduction, LocAl® has established itself as a premium product within the market, reflecting growing demand for low-carbon alternatives in the aluminium sector.
Stormtech, a leading provider of architectural drainage solutions in Australia, has integrated Capral Aluminium's LocAl® Super Green low‑carbon aluminium into its flagship Wave Grate product, reinforcing its commitment to sustainable design. The chosen material has a carbon footprint of just 4 kg CO₂e/kg, around one‑third of the global average, delivering exceptional environmental credentials without compromising quality or performance.
To this, Luke Hawkins commented, "The LocAl line for extrusion products provides the transport sector with aluminium that has an embodied carbon of either below eight tonnes of carbon per tonne of aluminium or below four tonnes of carbon per tonne of aluminium. When you compare this amount to how high the global average was at the time of LocAl's release, you can see that we were dramatically below that number at the time."
With the global average carbon emissions for primary aluminium production currently being at 12.46 kg CO₂e/kg Al, the company continues to position itself as a committed procurer and distributor of sustainable aluminium solutions. As the demand for low-carbon materials intensifies across industries, the company has strategically expanded its offering to align with the evolving sustainable metals landscape.
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