Carbon Trust: Common standards and clear labelling for Green Aluminium should be the way ahead

Carbon Trust an expert partner for businesses, governments and organisations around the world supporting them in realising ambitious plans for a sustainable, low carbon future stated on 8^th June’20 that: “Common standards and clear labelling should be agreed for so-called green aluminium so industrial users can identify low-carbon material amid competing claims by producers.”

The aluminium downstream consumers such as the auto and packaging industries are intensifying and aiming to lower their carbon footprints and buy material produced with low carbon dioxide emissions.

However, they are facing a range of “green” aluminium products from producers such as Rusal, Norsk Hydro and Rio Tinto.

Hugh Jones, MD of UK-based non-profit organisation Carbon Trust has proposed new labelling system due to multiple standards and lack of common measurements that create obscurity.

He said: “The Carbon Trust has proposed a set-up which labels aluminium as low-carbon if it is responsible for emitting 4 tonnes or less of CO2 per tonne of metal produced.”

Aluminium produced using hydropower typically produce around two tonnes of CO2 emissions while smelters dependent on coal-fired electricity can produce up to 18 tonnes.

“The primary intention of this label is to see whether we can demonstrate there is a clear and strong demand signal for low-carbon aluminium,” Jones said.

Jones added: “The system would initially use methodology put together by the International Aluminium Institute (IAI), but could later be expanded.”

China tops as the producer of aluminium, out of which 60% is widely used in transport, packaging and construction and the bulk is produced in coal-fired plants. Last year, 63.7 million tonnes of primary aluminium was produced, according to the IAI.

The London Metal Exchange said on 5^th June’20 that it was looking into providing a trading platform that consumers can use to source low-carbon aluminium.