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 Stewardship Initiative (ASI) has granted Performance Standard V2 (2017) Certification to Shanghai Unison Aluminium Products Co., Ltd. The company has received the certification for manufacturing aluminium structural parts of automobiles (e.g. car body, chassis and battery tray) at its facility in Qingpu District, Shanghai, China. Shanghai Unison Aluminium Products Co., Ltd. specialises in lightweight auto parts to promote energy saving and emission reduction. The auto body structural parts it manufactures can be categorised as bumper series, door sill beam series, subframe series, battery tray series, and shock absorption series. On receiving the certification, Paul Luo, General Manager at Unison, said: “As a global supplier to the automotive industry, Unison is committed to...
Net zero, or the urge to shift towards a greener and sustainable environment, can be called the need of the hour. But what is Net zero, and how well is the industry moving towards it? Is the industry making compromises as a sector to strengthen long-term efforts? Get all the answers on Monday, June 1, at ALFED EnvironmentAl Sustainability Strategy Day. This one-day event will take place at the BMA House in London and will include experts from the United Kingdom's thriving aluminium supply chain to network, learn about new prospects, and tackle some of the industry's most serious issues. "The aluminium industry is a vital part of the manufacturing sector and an essential component of the UK economy, playing a key role in our national transition towards a more sustainable future. But what's...
Redefine Properties has collaborated with Cash4Trash (C4T) to create innovative reverse vending machines that utilise 4IR technology to automate the process of collecting, sorting, and handling used beverage containers for recycling or reuse. The concept was the winning idea of REIT's first Innovation Challenge, and with Redefine's assistance, it will be tested at their head office in Sandton. The CEO of Redefine, Andrew König, commented: "We are extremely thrilled to launch this exciting opportunity today, which has recycling and a clean future at its core. This is in line with Redefine's vision to put the environment at the heart of everything we do." "It is also especially pleasing to see our first Innovation Challenge winner being able to bring their superb idea into the market, and...
Aluminium can be known as the most circular material of all. Because it is endlessly and completely recyclable, it may be converted and reused in the manufacturing cycle. Toyota marked World Recycling Day on May 17 by emphasising the significance of recycling to the environment and its decarbonisation agenda. Toyota has been pushing car recycling since 2003 with an easily accessible collection and separation procedure, resulting in the reuse of 99% of their vehicles' materials. Diageo, the parent firm of well-known liquor brands such as Johnnie Walker, Baileys, Smirnoff, Captain Morgan, Gordon, Guinness, and Tanqueray, announced support for the formation of a UK-based institution aimed at creating a circular economy for aluminium. Newcastle City Council (CN) granted a contract to iQRenew...
Alcoa has received recognition for its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance at Portland Aluminium in Victoria, Australia. Both the smelting and casthouse operations have been certified by the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) according to their Performance Standard, which is the most comprehensive in the aluminium industry. This standard covers various principles and criteria for sustainability performance, including biodiversity, Indigenous engagement, circularity, and greenhouse gas emissions. Portland Aluminium is a collaborated effort of Alcoa Australia (55%), CITIC (22.5%), and Marubeni Aluminium Australia (22.5%), and Alcoa looks after the everyday activities at the smelter. ASI has also recertified Alcoa of Australia's assets in Western Australia, which...
Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) has enlisted Ye Chiu Metal Smelting (Ye Chiu Group) as its new Production and Transformation member. Ye Chiu, a contemporary group company with a presence in Asia and America, is constantly dedicated to achieving its goal of industry globalisation. Apart from producing aluminium ingots, it is also known for aluminium recycling. The foundation of Ye Chiu Metal Recycling (China) Ltd. (Formerly Ye Chiu Metal Taicang Co., Ltd.) in 2001 permitted the quick entry of Ye Chiu goods into the Chinese market. It also helps Ye Chiu maintain his leadership position in the Chinese sector. Since its inception in Malaysia in 1984, Ye Chiu Metal Smelting Berhad has insisted on the company philosophy of Commitment to Excellence, Innovation, and Sustainability with a...
The City of Newcastle (CN) has awarded a contract to iQRenew to build the area's first Material Recovery Facility (MRF) for recycling. The $56.7 million unit will be constructed at CN's Summerhill Waste Management Facility and will process up to 85,000 tonnes of recyclables annually. The MRF will sort paper, cardboard, glass, plastics, steel, and aluminium from residents' yellow-lid rubbish bins. Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes asserted the facility would create local jobs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and divert waste from landfills. Aluminium is 100% recyclable and is one of the choicest materials for a flawless recycling process, but the extraction of the same from end-user products is quite a difficult task. Other companies are actively participating in sorting and recycling...
Plug Power Inc. is providing turnkey hydrogen solutions for the global green hydrogen economy. The company has recently secured three five-megawatt (MW) electrolyser projects with Ardagh Glass Limmared AB, Hydro Havrand, and the APEX Group. This marks the first-ever use of industrial-scale green hydrogen in glass manufacturing, aluminium recycling, and steel manufacturing processes. Plug offers 5 MW containerised PEM electrolysers that have a production capacity of more than two tons per day. This reduces site construction costs and implementation complexity. Hydro Havrand, a new unit of aluminium giant Norsk Hydro ASA, is on a mission to decarbonise heavy industry with green hydrogen. To build a closed-loop circular economy for its aluminium recycling plant in Hoyanger, Norway, Hydro...
Toyota celebrated World Recycling Day on May 17 by emphasizing the importance of recycling for the planet and its decarbonisation strategy. Since 2003, Toyota has been promoting automotive recycling through an accessible collection and separation process, resulting in 99% of their vehicles' materials being reused. Toyota Metal, their recycling company, enables this process. This activity is a significant part of their 2050 Environment Challenge, through which the company aims to promote recycling-based societies and systems worldwide. They plan to set up 30 facilities to treat and recycle scrapped vehicles by 2030. In 2019, Toyota Motor North America expanded its battery recycling program to include lithium batteries, where they repair and take apart batteries to reuse their components...
The 2023 Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition winners have been announced by the Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC). Over 75 high school and college students worldwide participated in the event, hoping to receive a more than $15,000 cash scholarship for their sustainable designs. The judges, Joe Jackman, Brook Massey, and Craig Werner, selected the winners from various impressive designs. Drew Klopfenstein, a sophomore studying industrial design at Purdue University, won the first-place prize of $5,000 for his modular traffic light design made from extruded aluminium components. Brady Hawks, another industrial design student at Purdue University, won second place and a scholarship of $4,000 for his electric motorcycle design called ATLAS, created with extruded aluminium. Sarah Fatouros, a...
According to Hilde Merete Asheim, the company's chief executive officer, the expanded focus is widening the chances for aluminium producers like Norsk Hydro to market more low-carbon products. Hydro is a leading industrial company that builds businesses and partnerships for a more sustainable future. Hilde stated, “What is exciting is that we now see that the green shift is there. Customers are targeting Scope 3 in order to reduce their carbon footprint, which allows us to gain a premium for our strive to get the carbon out of our processes.” Many businesses have concentrated on lowering Scope 1 greenhouse gas emissions in recent years, including emissions from direct processes, and Scope 2 emissions, which include indirect emissions from producing purchased energy. However, Scope 3 is...
TRIMET Aluminium SE, located in Essen, Germany, has been enlisted against the ASI Performance Standard Certification for the development, production, and sale of various aluminium products. These include extrusion billets, rolling ingots, and primary die-casting alloys made from primary and secondary aluminium inputs. The facility has an annual capacity to produce 165,000 metric tons of primary aluminium and recycle 100,000 metric tons of scrap/dross. TRIMET Aluminium SE has three other ASI Performance Standard-certified production sites in Germany and France. The ASI Certification program addresses sustainability issues in the aluminium value chain. It defines 59 criteria under the three sustainability pillars of Environment, Social, and Governance, including biodiversity, labour rights,...
Diageo, the parent company of renowned liquor brands like Johnnie Walker, Baileys, Smirnoff, Captain Morgan, Gordon, Guinness, and Tanqueray, has recently announced funding the establishment of an organisation in the UK market that aims to create a circular economy for aluminium. The organisation, also known as the British Aluminium Consortium for Advanced Alloys (BACALL), comprises industry experts who will work together to achieve this sustainability goal. As per Diageo's ideation, they will construct a unit to "roll hundreds of thousands of tonnes of aluminium sheet in the UK, more than enough for over 400 million cans of Guinness and pre-mixed Gordon's and tonic". "Currently, to recycle and remake cans, the UK is reliant on an energy-intensive supply chain that is based on the...
Rusal, a prominent Russian aluminium company and a top green aluminium producer has approved its 2035 Sustainable Development Strategy. The strategy is to create sustainable non-ferrous metals for the circular economy and low-carbon transition. These assets will be carbon-neutral by 2050 and balance primary and secondary materials. With advanced technology, Rusal’s value chain will be adaptive, equitable, secure, and inclusive. Meanwhile, Hydro and Saint-Gobain Glass have developed innovative technology to cut the carbon footprint of building facades in half through low-carbon solutions. DECO Australia is also making strides in reducing carbon emissions by partnering with Capral Aluminium to use LocAl® Green lower-carbon aluminium starting in June 2023. Last week, the Aluminium...
Green bond issuance is likely to climb further in 2023 as major governments and transnational institutions increase sales, while other types of sustainable debt are expected to develop much more slowly. The Climate Bonds Initiative estimates that green bond issuance totalled $487.1 billion last year, down from $522.7 billion in 2021. According to Moody's Investors Service, the broader sustainable bond market, which includes green, social, sustainability, and sustainability-linked bonds (GSSS), witnessed a fall year on year in 2022 for the first time since 2011. Apple Inc. invested $4.7 billion in the form of green bonds , which have supported revitalizing the development of new low-carbon manufacturing and recycling technologies. Since 2016, Apple has issued three green bonds, with...
Boomerang is turning some heads with its vigorous participation in the quest to improve the world. Michael Jackson's 'Heal the World' plays in the background as the firm lays the foreground for a sustainable future with its 100% recyclable and reusable aluminium bottles. Boomerang Water ecstatically shares that it has been honoured with the prestigious 2023 SEAL Sustainability Award for Sustainable Innovation. Some other notable companies in the panel were Cisco, Disney, and Samsung, as well as high-growth start-ups like Flowspace and Reseat. The firm has also collaborated with the Town of Davidson in North Carolina to implement the Boomerang structure . Boomerang Water posted: "We are proud of our sustainable innovation efforts and commitment to reducing waste and minimizing our...
Hydro and Saint-Gobain Glass are on their way to reducing the carbon footprint of building facades in half via the use of combined low-carbon solutions. The businesses are using their one-of-a-kind technology to produce goods with decreasing levels of embodied carbon. In its aluminium facade solutions, Hydro Building Systems employs the utilisation of Hydro CIRCAL , which has a high proportion of recycled post-consumer waste material. The low-carbon glass products produced by Saint-Gobain Glass are made using power generated from renewable sources and include a significant amount of recycled material. “We share with Hydro the same ambition to be leaders in light and sustainable construction. This partnership will enable us to increase the awareness of low-carbon solutions for façades....
Automated People Mover (APM), expected to open in 2024 at the Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), has earned another key environmental award. The APM was recently awarded the Trailblazer Project of the Year award by the Los Angeles Sustainability Coalition (LASC). Composed of recyclable aluminium shells , APM is a zero-emissions electric train that generates its own electricity using regenerative braking, which uses the kinetic energy generally wasted while braking to propel the train forward. A solar power system installed on the top of the APM's Maintenance and Storage Facility (MSF) will meet 40 per cent of the facility's energy demands and 7 per cent of the APM's total power needs. "The positive impacts of LAX's Automated People Mover will be felt for generations to come. Sustainably...
