Japanese aluminium manufacturer UACJ Co Ltd has signed a 20-year solar power purchase agreement (PPA) with Hokuriku Electric Power Biz Energy Solution Co Ltd to supply renewable electricity to its Fukui Works. The 7.43 MW solar project in Sakai City, Fukui Prefecture, is expected to deliver 8.5 GWh of electricity annually while reducing UACJ’s carbon dioxide emissions by 27,694 tonnes per year. Private-line solar supply to begin in November Under the agreement announced on October 26, 2026, Hokuriku Electric Power Biz Energy Solution will supply UACJ’s Fukui Works through a dedicated 4.2 km private power line. The offsite solar plant has a capacity of 5 MWAC/7.43 MWDC, with electricity deliveries scheduled to begin on November 1, 2026. Built on a 75,197-square-metre site, equivalent to...
Aluminium’s decarbonisation challenge extends beyond the electricity powering its smelters. Inside the reduction cell, electrode quality influences how efficiently that electricity is used, how much carbon is consumed and how consistently the process performs. Improving electrodes therefore offers producers a practical opportunity to address operating costs and emissions together. For Switzerland-based R&D Carbon , understanding the relationship between raw materials, electrode quality and industrial performance has been a focus for four decades. Founded in 1986 by Werner K. Fischer, the company built on carbon research previously undertaken at Swiss Aluminium Ltd., or Alusuisse. Today, it operates from Granges, near Sierre, with a team of 30 specialists serving more than 150 customers...
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Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) is taking swift measures to achieve carbon neutrality after unveiling its ESG Roadmap in April 2022. As part of this initiative, the company is expediting its efforts by introducing three solar charging stations. These stations will provide charging facilities for Electric Vehicles (EVs) and Solar-Electric powered industrial Personnel Carriers (PCs) used within the premises of the smelter. Alba aims to support sustainable transportation and reduce its carbon footprint by implementing these stations. On June 22, 2023, Ali Al Baqali, Chief Executive Officer of Alba, was joined by Chief Power Officer Amin Sultan and other senior officials in a ceremony held to inaugurate these new stations, located at the car park areas of Power Stations 3, 4, and 5 Control and...
Aluminium Stewardship Initiative has presented Performance Standard V2 (2017) Certification to Aluphoenix srl for its remelting and casting facility in Riese Pio X, Italy. The facility has an annual production capacity of around 50,000 tonnes of aluminium ingots destined for transportation. Aluphoenix is specialised in melting and amalgamation of high-grade aluminium, such as from pre-consumer and post-consumer scrap into alloys in the form of ingots. These products are used for air and marine transport, renewable energy, and automotive sectors. Last year, the company produced aluminium alloys from 11,291 tonnes of recycled materials. The ASI Performance Standard V2 (2017) defines environmental, social, and governance principles and criteria, aiming to address sustainability issues in the...
Global warming is a growing concern as the world is moving rapidly towards reducing emissions to save the environment from further degradation. In this path that leads us to a sustainable future, aluminium as a metal has proven to be better than the rest when it comes to being environmentally friendly. Also, many companies have been rewarded for their sustainable approach to making their products environment-friendly and recyclable. Like, Libo Cosmetics was recently honoured with the Packaging Award for its Venus Refillable Aluminium Lipstick, made from 100 per cent recyclable aluminium. It is constructed of 100 per cent aluminium, including the cap and shell, with no plastic waste generated throughout production. Hydro, the leading Norwegian aluminium company committed highly to a...
alupak AG, specialised in thermoformed aluminium packaging, has reportedly acquired ASI Performance Standard V2 (2017) certification and Chain of Custody V1 (2017) certification for operations at the Belp facility in Switzerland. The news came on June 23 after Aluminium Stewardship Initiative announced the distribution of certifications focusing on Material Stewardship. The dual certification covers alupak’s development, production and sales of aluminium packaging at its Belp site. The company manufactures aluminium capsules, containers, and forms through cutting, stamping, and deep drawing of coated and printed aluminium foils, having a capacity of over 10 billion capsule products in a year. The independent, third-party audit of alupak operation was conducted by Bureau Veritas...
One of the biggest consumers of energy and raw materials is the aviation sector, where aluminium plays a vital role for its lightweight and tensile properties. With the protocols implemented by the Paris Environment Act 2015, the world is moving toward a greener future as many big firms like Airbus, Constellium, TISICS, and TARMAC are transforming their entire value chain for a greener outcome. The 2023 Paris Air Show was just another foreground to raise sustainability issues, and the UK Government seeing the ripest opportunity has pledged £218 million in funding to enhance aerospace projects so that they might reach their full net-zero potential. To induce greener air travel, the usage of renewable energy for aerospace parts creation is on the rise. During her speech at the 2023 Paris...
The inhabitants of Fiji's Nawailevu village in Bua have started a project to assist in rehabilitating the land utilised for bauxite mining over the last decade. This is accomplished by establishing a sustainable landscape plot planted with fruits, vegetables, root crops, and trees. Vilikesa Kaidawa, a spokesperson, said that the programme would raise the standard of living for both their current and future generations. “The aim is to teach us sustainable management of land. Especially for the iTaukei, as we are used to cultivation for consumption. This initiative aims to help provide food on the table and earn a living for families. The sustainable landscape plot will entirely benefit the villagers.” Kaidawa added, "Because the sustainable landscape plot is entirely organic, it will help...
Alcore Limited, an 83%-owned subsidiary of ABx Group, has finished the primary engineering design phase for its quickly developing pilot facility and ordered a sizable laboratory reactor. Alcore is developing a pilot plant in NSW to recover fluorine from an ‘excess bath’ (an aluminium smelter waste product) to produce hydrogen fluoride, with a later-stage commercial plant to react the hydrogen fluoride further to produce aluminium fluoride – a high-value chemical essential for aluminium smelting. Commenting on the progress made by Alcore, ABx Group Managing Director and CEO Mark Cooksey said, "It is exceptionally pleasing to see progress accelerating at Alcore. The Company has the opportunity to solve an increasing waste issue for global aluminium smelters while also producing a necessary...
The leading Norwegian aluminium company committed highly to a sustainable future, Norsk Hydro was recently honoured with the Mercedes-Benz Supplier Award in the sustainability category. The Mercedes-Benz Supplier Circle event occurred on June 19 in Stuttgart, Germany. "This award is a fantastic recognition of our efforts to drive sustainability in aluminium production. It demonstrates a key customer's appreciation of Hydro's commitment to decarbonize and minimize environmental impact along the entire aluminium value chain," stated President and CEO Hilde Merete Aasheim, who received the award on behalf of Hydro. This award is given annually to recognise excellent achievement by supplier partners in innovation, quality, and sustainability. Mercedes-Benz got the accolade after receiving the...
Aluminium Steward Initiative has acknowledged seven facilities of Yunnan Aluminium Co., Ltd. with Performance Standard V3 (2022) and Chain of Custody Standard certifications. All of them are located across six prefectures of Yunnan, China. Yunnan Aluminium has vertically integrated operations covering most of the aluminium value chain, including bauxite mining, alumina refining, aluminium smelting, casting, and semi-fabrication of aluminium products. It has an annual capacity of around 3 million tonnes of smelted aluminium. Yunnan’s seven facilities that have bagged dual ASI certification are Yunnan Wenshan Aluminium Co., Ltd., Yangzonghai Aluminium Electrolysis Branch of Yunnan Aluminium Industry Co., Ltd., Yunnan Yunlv Runxin Aluminium Co., Ltd., Yunnan Yunlv Zexin Aluminium Co., Ltd.,...
Spirit AeroSystems, Inc. has proudly declared its continued involvement in NASA's Sustainable Flight National Partnership as a valued partner in the Hi-Rate Composite Aircraft Manufacturing (HiCAM) project. Spirit AeroSystems, Inc. is proud to be a subsidiary of Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. and mainly uses aluminium and other composite materials to create its flagship aerospace components. The Spirit senior vice president, chief technology officer and chief engineer, Sean Black, explained: "Spirit is leveraging extensive experience as a global leader in composite structures technology development and our commercial design-build production capabilities to take a leading role in NASA 's HiCAM public-private partnership, a vital cornerstone to create an affordable sustainable future for...
Libo Cosmetics has recently been awarded the Packaging Award for its Venus Refillable Aluminium Lipstick, which is made of 100% recyclable aluminium. Among the four other winners in different categories at the annual MakeUp in Paris' Innovation & Trends (IT) Awards, Libo won a well-deserved spot. The annual MakeUp in Paris' Innovation & Trends (IT) Awards recently concluded at the Carrousel du Louvre, and it was a grand success. The competition was open to all exhibitors at the show, who could submit up to three skincare and makeup innovations . This year, a total of 31 new skincare and makeup products and packaging were nominated, surpassing the tally of 117 products in the competition. After rigorous evaluation by the jury, four innovations and two "special mention" prizes were awarded...
The 6th AKAM Awareness Conference on “Sustainable & Circular Bharat: Towards Zero Waste in Metals Processing” successfully occurred on Thursday, June 15, at Taj Bengal, Kolkata, India. It was a 2-day event with a combination of conference and plant visit, organised by MRAI and the Ministries of Mines and Steel, in collaboration with JNARDDC, Ministry of Mines PSU (NALCO), Ministry of Steel PSUs (NMDC & MSTC). The event marked the celebration of the “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM) - CIRCULAR ECONOMY Campaign - 2023”, and it was an honour for AL Circle to be present and witness the initiatives and policies framed by the Indian government to promote recycling and the circular economy in both the non-ferrous and ferrous industries. From the aluminium industry, Dr Anupam Agnihotri, Director of...
Hydro is collaborating with CAKE and Vattenfall on the pioneering initiative 'Cleanest Dirt Bike Ever,' encouraging the automobile industry to reduce its carbon footprint. The initiative aims to motivate the automobile sector to minimise carbon emissions in manufacturing techniques via new collaborations. CAKE and Vattenfall have pledged to create the cleanest dirt bike ever by eliminating carbon emissions from the manufacturing chain of the electric CAKE Kalk OR bike by 2025. Under this initiative, Hydro will provide low-carbon aluminium , the Hydro CIRCAL 100R, and EcoDesign knowledge to help convert the motorcycle to new aluminium alloys. Jonas Bjuhr, Managing Director at Hydro Extrusions Sweden, said, "We are thrilled to join forces with CAKE and Vattenfall on the 'Cleanest Dirt Bike...
Constellium SE and TARMAC Aerosave are collaborating to discover technologies and processes that will enable the recovery of aluminium from end-of-life aircraft. This innovative approach involves reusing aluminium within the aerospace value chain, thereby keeping its material properties and original performance intact. This method has proven advantageous since the carbon footprint of aluminium is more feasible in comparison with other elements used in aircraft production. Furthermore, using recycled aluminium adds to this advantage by significantly reducing CO2 emissions. It is noteworthy that recycled aluminium requires just 5% of the energy used for primary metal production, resulting in 95% lower CO2 emissions for the aluminium produced to craft commercial aircraft. TARMAC Aerosave's...
Aluminium Stewardship Initiative announced the joining of VDL Bike Frame Technologies as the new downstream supporter member. Founded in 2022, VDL Bike is a manufacturer of 100 per cent European-made aluminium bicycle frames. The worldwide industrial family enterprise VDL Group and applies the knowledge of a high-tech multinational to fabricate bicycle frames. “VDL Bike Frame Technologies wants to provide a sustainable solution for aluminum bike frame production within Europe. We join ASI to commit to responsible sourcing of the materials used for our products,” Jason Koevoet, Managing Director at VDL Bike. Being able to manufacture frames and get key components entirely inside Europe. All of the suppliers in VDL Bike believe in further increasing the sustainability of the whole supply...
The world is moving toward a much more sustainable future, with companies initiating noble drives throughout their production or service routes. It has been sourced that Emirates would be among the first flying companions to introduce a closed-loop recycling drive up on the air. The flight attendants would collect food and beverage packages, like aluminium cans, in-flight to avoid over-burdening the landfills. American Beverage and The Recycling Partnership have selected the village of Villa Park to receive US$97,500 in funding from the Every Bottle Back initiative backed by the giants of the drinks industry like Coco Cola, Pepsi Co and Dr Pepper. Boomerang’s co-founder Jason Dibble has been awarded the Entrepreneur of the Year by Gold Stevie for the company’s sustainable aluminium...
Boomerang’s headquarters would have looked like Nick Fury’s action pad for the past few weeks with news of Jason Dibble, one of the founders, being honoured by the Gold Stevie Award for Entrepreneur of the Year- Food and Beverage category. Boomerang is also making headlines since ‘The Reusies ’ have been chosen as a finalist for Circularity 23 due to its promise of reusability and low carbon emissions. Boomerang has received support from the world’s leading beverage packaging supplier Ball Corporation and is quite optimistic the partnership will give rise to more and more sustainable initiatives. Recently, Boomerang’s patented high-end clean room units have been sent to Virginia, Texas and the Bahamas industrial zones. Boomerang’s bottling systems are by far the most enigmatic discovery...
Headquartered in the USA, Commencal was started in 2000 by Max Commencal. Commencal is known for producing super sturdy and efficient bikes, perfect for a challenging ride across hilly terrains. The company's recent launch is an all-aluminium gravel bike. Dubbed the Commencal 365, the bike sports a full-aluminium frameset and an integrated front mudguard. The Commencal 365 is constructed entirely of triple-butted 6069 T4/T6 aluminium, including the fork. Commencal claims it chose a full-aluminium structure because it views it as its specialisation, citing sustainability factors such as the material's capacity to be recycled. Because of carbon's small weight and low-frequency vibration-damping properties, many dirt bikes incorporate a carbon fibre fork in their framesets. Aluminium is one...
