
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...
Grow with
AL Circle

Nowadays, the aviation industry places great importance on environmental sustainability. To minimise their carbon footprint and adopt eco-friendly practices, airlines worldwide are taking significant steps toward sustainable aviation. Among them, Emirates, one of the leading airlines in the world, has introduced an innovative waste management strategy, the closed-loop recycling system. This system manages the waste generated during flights by collecting, processing, and reusing recyclable materials. With this article, we will try to explore how Emirates' waste management system contributes to a greener future. Air travel yields a substantial amount of waste, including plastic bottles, aluminium cans, food packaging, and other disposable items. Unfortunately, most of this waste is diverted...

Social enterprise Thankyou has announced the reimagining of its existing personal care products and its entry into the house cleaning industry. The existing products will be presented in new super sleek sustainable and reusable Forever Bottles made from 100 per cent recycled aluminium and plastic. Customers may fill the 100% reusable and indefinitely recyclable aluminium Forever Bottles with Thankyou's ethically created items, enabling them to drastically decrease their home waste and environmental impact while supporting the Thankyou aim of ending global poverty. Aluminium is one of the most sustainable and recyclable materials on the earth. Recycling aluminium serves current and future generations by preserving energy and other natural resources. It retains all of its fundamental...

The Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority (SEWA) has been recognised for its impressive waste management and recycling efforts. The Emirates Environmental Group (EEG) awarded SEWA second place in the Waste Management and Recycling Award for Printer Ink Cartridges in the Enterprise category at the UAE level. The ceremony was attended by Sheikh Salem bin Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Executive Council Member of the Government of Ras Al Khaimah and Chairman of the Civil Aviation Department, and was held at Dubai Knowledge Park. This award honours the fact that SEWA has collected, sorted and recycled around 200 ink cartridges. SEWA's waste management and recycling campaigns covered paper, plastic, aluminium cans, ink, mobile phones, and glass bottles. These amazing results were achieved...

American Beverage and The Recycling Partnership have chosen the village of Villa Park for US$97,500 in funding from the beverage industry's Every Bottle Back initiative. The investment aims to improve recycling rates and will fund new 65-gallon recycling carts for residents to collect valuable recyclables, including 100% recyclable PET bottles and aluminium cans. The entire Every Bottle Back commitment for Villa Park is around US$780,000, poised to benefit nearly 22,000 residents and 6,500 households. The investment has been projected to generate 8.6 million pounds of new recyclables, including 335,400 pounds of PET plastic and 111,800 pounds of aluminium over the next decade. Unlike single-use plastic, aluminium is infinitely recyclable and can retain its original properties after...

The Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) and its members, including aluminium beverage can manufacturers and can sheet producers, have agreed to endorse the Mission Possible Partnership's (MPP) strategy for achieving a net-zero, 1.5°C-aligned aluminium industry. This endorsement aims to reduce the carbon footprint of primary aluminium in beverage cans, which will contribute to the fight against climate change. The carbon footprint of aluminium beverage cans made in North America has decreased by almost half since the 1990s. By adhering to the MPP strategy, further reductions in the carbon footprint of aluminium beverage cans can be achieved through the incorporation of low-carbon aluminium. The aluminium industry will need to implement various actions to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas...

Aluminium Stewardship Initiative has reportedly presented Performance Standard V2 (2017) Certification to Sanyuan Aluminium Co., Ltd. (Sanyuan Aluminium) for the processing of aluminium coil and sheet at its two plants Zouping Xinsanyuan Aluminium Co., Ltd. and Shandong Longkou Sanyuan Aluminium Co., Ltd. The plants manufacture aluminium tab stock and end stock, with around 100,000 tonnes of output capacity. The products are destined for use in beverage and food aluminium can packaging. On receiving the certification, Sanyuan Aluminium said, “Forge ahead and be extraordinary’ is our constant company motto, which reflects both our determination to build a strong business and our perseverance in facing all kinds of difficulties. We continue to stick to this concept in our pursuit of...

The aluminium industry is leaving no stone unturned to move towards a sustainable environment. To begin with, ALFED, on the occasion of World of Environment Day, announced intentions to develop two new member initiatives to support the sector's transition to Net Zero on June 1 at the first EnvironmentAl Strategy Day. Ørsted, a major sustainable energy firm, has formed a new cooperation with SOLARCYCLE, a technology-based solar recycling company, to recycle and process end-of-life solar modules from Ørsted around the United States. Vedanta Aluminium stated on World Environment Day that its product line was validated by the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) International. Vedanta's EPD-verified goods comprised billets, Primary Foundry Alloy (PFA), wire rods, and other types of ingots....

Marks & Spencer has partnered with HANDLE, a beauty recycling company, to launch a Beauty Takeback Scheme in over 40 UK stores. This initiative permits customers to recycle any form of plastic or aluminium beauty packaging. Packaging solutions may vary from plastic or aluminium bottles and tubes to caps, pumps, and tubs. These recyclable items can be collected through any retailer when a user drops them into dedicated boxes placed in an M&S store's cosmetics segment. The programme aims to collect over two tonnes of empty beauty packaging within the first 12 months and build towards a circular system where new products and packaging are created from the materials collected. To mark the launch, M&S Sparks customers who recycle their beauty packaging through the scheme will receive 10% off...

Aluminium has incredible advantages in the packaging sector when it comes to providing solutions for cosmetics, washroom essentials and perfumes, with sustainability being the most important factor. According to research by Stanford University, recycling aluminium demands 95% less energy than producing it from raw materials, which is a significant win for the planet. Additionally, unlike its nemesis, plastic, the non-ferrous metal can be recycled forever without depleting the original characteristics of the element. IAI claims that aluminium's infinite recycling properties have locked 75% of its total production in the global material loop. The different types of aluminium solutions we find in the cosmetics packaging sector: Refillable packaging – The type that creates a circular economy,...

Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) announced that the Wenshan City smelting facility of Yunnan Sunho Aluminium bagged the ASI Performance Standard V2 (2017) and Chain of Custody (CoC) Standard V1 (2017) Certifications at the same time. The factory has an annual output capacity of 900,000 tonnes and is powered by hydropower. In 2022 the company joined ASI as a new production and transformation member. "We are very pleased to have passed the ASI performance standard certification, which is an affirmation of our company's low-carbon, clean and sustainable development work. We will continue to implement our commitment to responsible production, procurement and management of aluminum, and establish a reliable, responsible and sustainable aluminum industry chain with all members," said...

Capral Aluminium Industrial Solutions, Australia's largest producer and distributor of aluminium products and architectural & building solutions, has been granted dual ASI certification to manufacture extruded products. Capral is Australia's first extruded aluminium product manufacturer to receive the certifications. The news came on Thursday, June 8, after the Aluminum Stewardship Initiative announced it successfully certified Capral against the Performance Standard V3 (2022) and Chain of Custody (CoC) Standard V2 (2022). The certifications apply to all Capral's 26 facilities, composed of mills, distribution centres, and trade centres, spread across every state and territory in Australia. Capral's aluminium products like geometric extrusions, machine rods, plates and sheets are destined...

Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba), the world's largest aluminium smelter (ex-China), attended the 26th Arab-German Business Forum on June 5-7, 2023, at The Ritz-Carlton, Berlin, Germany, wherein the company's Chairman Shaikh Daij bin Salman Bin Daij Al Khalifa said in his speech, "The world is changing and as we gather here in this Forum, we should take on the responsibility for finding answers to the most pressing ESG challenges of our time to foster a better future for generations to come." He pointed out the ongoing initiatives undertaken by Alba to reduce carbon footprint and support the Kingdom's aim to achieve 'Net Zero Emissions by 2060'. In this context, he said Alba is committed to achieving the net-zero goal by seeking partnerships to leverage advanced technologies such as Carbon...

Nespresso has launched its Recycling Rewards program for the second year to promote its aluminium coffee capsule recycling initiative. A recent online study showed that many Australians are unsure about the country’s recycling systems. Almost 78% of respondents believed their household recycling would be sorted and redirected by machines, councils, or volunteers, irrespective of which bin they used. The New South Wales Young Australian 2023 and founder of Banish and BRAD, Lottie Dalziel, exemplified: “I see so many Australians trying to do the right thing by putting used household items like soft plastics, toothbrushes and aluminium coffee capsules in their curbside recycling bins and optimistically hoping they will be recycled at the other end. Most often than not, it sadly isn’t the...

The Denver Nuggets, competing for their first NBA championship, have a major sponsor in Ball Corp., one of the world's largest aluminium can manufacturers. Ball Arena, home to the Colorado Avalanche and Colorado Mammoth, is named after the company, and Ball is excited about the exposure it is receiving. Although the Avalanche and Mammoth both won championships last year, the Nuggets' NBA Finals appearance has generated more interest and viewership from around the world. Ball signed a long-term agreement with Kroenke Sports Entertainment (KSE), its parent company, in 2020 during the pandemic. The company reportedly pays about $6 million per year for the naming rights. While it is difficult to quantify the return on investment, Apex Marketing Group estimates that the in-game brand exposure...

According to an esteemed news agency, by 2030, the number of electric vehicles on the roads will escalate by a hefty amount, which indicates that the demand for lithium-ion battery storage will increase tremendously. And the metal used in making lithium battery cases is usually aluminium. As a result, Matthew Keyser, an electric chemical energy storage group manager, and his team of researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Denver, Colorado, are working on better ways to recycle batteries. The goal is to increase the current recycling rate from 5%-10% to 98% or 99%. Keyser's team has found a more environmentally friendly method to recycle lithium-ion batteries than some currently used tactics. "Bloomberg estimates by 2030, we will need two terawatt hours of...

On May 31, LKQ Corporation announced the company's 2022 Global Sustainability Report, which displays its achievements in environmental leadership, employee engagement and diversity, safety, and operations. In 2022, LKQ accomplished several ESG milestones, which include processing 770,000 vehicles and recycling over 97 million pounds of aluminium, nearly 7 million pounds of copper, and over 123 million pounds of scrap steel. The President and Chief Executive Officer, Dominick Zarcone, commented: “As the largest vehicle recycler in the world, sustainability is core to our business and our success. Our strong environmental stewardship complements our commitment to our employees and communities. This year’s report highlights what we are doing around the globe to promote sustainability, equity...

On World Environment Day, Vedanta Aluminium announced that its product line was verified by the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) International. The EPD-verified products from Vedanta included billets, Primary Foundry Alloy (PFA), wire rods, and other kinds of ingots. These goods are used in vital industries such as aerospace, infrastructure, automotive, electrical, packaging and other developing industries such as high-tech manufacturing, renewable energy, battery technology, and electric cars. Mr Rahul Sharma, CEO, Vedanta Ltd – Aluminium Business said, “In a world rapidly transitioning to more sustainable approaches, the aluminium industry is poised for remarkable growth and innovation. As the backbone of a low-carbon future, aluminium’s exceptional properties hold immense...

Altemira has introduced a groundbreaking and sustainable model for the aluminium industry called the Can-to-Can cycle. This innovative approach revolutionizes how aluminium cans are recycled, paving the way for a more environmentally friendly future. Altemira ensures that the environmental impact of the production process is minimized from the outset. Altemira is a vertically integrated aluminium can, rolling, foil and extrusion business company. The company strives to be a leading company that continues to create new value and promote changes by constantly pursuing world-class technologies, products, and services. Teruaki Nakatsuka, the President of Altemira, said, “Aluminium cans have proven to be highly advantageous. Our can-to-can cycle commences at Altemira, where we proudly...