Constellium to supply closed-loop recycling for Megane E-TECH Electric, a move toward sustainable automotive aluminium solutions

On April 27, 2023, Constellium SE, the global leader in developing and manufacturing high-value-added aluminium products and solutions and aluminium recycling, announced its agreement with Renault Group to establish a closed-loop recycling process for the all-new Megane E-TECH Electric.

Lightweight and fully recyclable aluminium is the material of choice for the automotive fleet's electrification. Constellium is well-positioned to support this transition with advanced products and solutions.

Renault Group has created a closed-loop recycling mechanism that directs manufacturing scrap from the stamping process back to Constellium, resulting in a lower CO₂ footprint. Based on best practices at Renault Group to avoid combining 5xxx and 6xxx alloys and compact scrap for optimal logistics, the closed-loop process will recycle these alloys for reuse in Renault Group manufacturing with no loss of qualities and no downcycling.

Constellium supplies the best-in-class aluminium Auto Body Sheet for the all-new Megane E-TECH Electric, combining high strength with excellent surface quality and hemming properties, and for the inner panels from the forming optimised Formalex® product range.

Hervé Ribes, the Director of Technical Customer Service Automotive for Constellium’s Packaging & Automotive Rolled Products business unit, said, “We are excited to continue collaborating with Renault Group on sustainable and efficient aluminium solutions. Together we will contribute to the circular economy within the automotive industry while helping both companies meet their sustainability targets.”

 “Further, converting R&D expertise to full-scale industrialization is in the DNA of Constellium. This successful collaboration between Renault Group and Constellium proves it is working.”

Yvan Chastel, the Expert Leader for Metals and Processes at Renault Group, said, "We are delighted to expand these activities with Constellium as part of our journey to carbon neutrality." 

"The closed-loop recycling we had established for the former vehicles manufactured in Douai are now further optimized for the production volumes of the all-new Megane E-TECH Electric. This collaboration further demonstrates our capacity to be at the forefront of decarbonizing mobility by reducing CO₂ emissions throughout the life cycle of our vehicles."

This announcement builds on the two firms' long and successful collaboration on sustainable automotive aluminium solutions. Constellium and Renault Group have been collaborating on R&D initiatives for alloys and solutions that enable closed-loop recycling since 2021, such as the ISA3 collaboration venture with ESI Group, Institut de Soudure, and the University of Lorraine.

Constellium's 2030 sustainability goals include recycling as a fundamental tenet, and their closed-loop collaboration with Renault Group will help them along the way. With an investment of €130 million for a new recycling facility at its location in Neuf-Brisach, France, the business is significantly increasing its recycling capacity. By 2025, it should add another 130 kt of recycling capacity.

Constellium, a full-service supplier of rolled and extruded aluminium solutions for the global automotive market, supplies aluminium for 1 in 4 vehicles produced in Europe and the U.S.

 Constellium helps automakers produce lighter, safer, more fuel-efficient, and electric vehicles with greater range. Renault Group is supplied by Constellium’s ASI-certified facility in Neuf Brisach, France.