Lightweight, strong, durable, and infinitely recyclable, aluminium is a sustainable metal of choice. As the world strives to achieve an energy-efficient future, aluminium continues to provide innovative solutions to businesses and consumers, offering the benefits of a circular economy to the industry by being able to go through recycling multiple times without losing any mechanical, physical or chemical properties. But the dichotomy of the metal is, whilst being a solution to a carbon-neutral world, aluminium itself is part of the sustainability challenges the earth faces.
Aluminium is a significant source of carbon dioxide, responsible for about 3 per cent of the world’s 9.4 Gt of direct industrial CO2 emissions in 2021. Being an energy-intensive metal, it accounts for nearly 1.1 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions globally. The carbon footprint of primary aluminium varies from less than 4 tonnes of CO2 per one tonne of the metal in hydropower-based regions to more than 20 tonnes of C02 in coal-power-based areas. Along with that, colossal waste and scrap generation, landfills and downgrading are other sustainability issues caused by the aluminium sector.
With a rising concern for the environment and a growing focus on carbon-neutral, eminent aluminium leaders and companies are working towards developing a sustainability roadmap for the industry, while associations are taking initiatives to acknowledge their efforts. Companies like Hydro, Rio Tinto, Emirates Global Aluminium, Constellium, and Assan Alüminyum have implemented innovative skills and technologies to reduce carbon emissions across the entire aluminium value chain, setting trends before the industry. Since this e-Magazine is about recognizing the world’s leading innovators and trendsetters in the aluminium sector, let us celebrate their inventive achievements.
Big Australian alumina producers strive to achieve net-zero by 2050, shows sustainability plan published by ARENA
Australia can emerge as a leader in net-zero alumina refining worldwide if it obeys a plan developed by three major producers – Alcoa, Rio Tinto, and South32. Together, these three organizations have developed a detailed roadmap that ensures net zero emissions by 2050. According to the report published by the Federal Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), refining activities in Australia cause up to 3 per cent of the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions. But to meet the rising need for cleaner and greener aluminium in the western market, the country is exploring advanced refining and smelting technologies. The ARENA report states that low-cost wind and solar energy can morph the sector into an environment-friendly. Besides, the report suggests four prime decarbonization techniques that enable units to run on renewable energy instead of fossil fuels and lower emissions by 98 per cent in Australia’s six refineries.
MYTILINEOS S.A. receives ASI Chain of Custody (CoC) Standard V1 (2017) Certification for upstream activities
Among the upstream companies, MYTILINEOS S.A. has bagged the ASI Chain of Custody (CoC) Standard V1 (2017) Certification for its corporate headquarters and upstream activities, including bauxite mining, alumina refining, and aluminium smelting and casting. MYTILINEOS has received the certification for bauxite mining activities at the Distomon site; refining, smelting and casthouse activities at the Aluminium Of Greece Plant; port facilities at the Aluminium Of Greece Plant; and corporate headquarters at Athens.
Novelis & SPS partnership starts closed-loop-recycling operation
Novelis has also initiated closed-loop recycling operations with Smart Press Shop (SPS). Novelis supplies aluminium FRPs from its Nachterstedt plant in Germany to the Smart Press Shop and collects production scrap generated at SPS during the automotive manufacturing process to convert it into high-quality rolled sheets. This process is expected to reduce carbon emissions by up to 100,000 tonnes per year, as recycling aluminium requires 95 per cent less energy than primary aluminium production.
To know more: https://www.alcircle.com/news/novelis-sps-partnership-starts-closed-loop-recycling-operation-84772
Capral offers low-carbon aluminium LocAl® to Australian manufacturers for accessing sustainable projects
Australia's leading provider of aluminium products and associated services, Capral, introduced LocAl®, a lower-carbon primary aluminium option available across Capral's locally manufactured extruded aluminium products. The LocAl® offer includes two low-carbon aluminium options amongst the lowest carbon aluminium available globally:
Hydro signs strategic collaboration agreement with NTNU to strengthen R&D on aluminium value chain sustainability
The European aluminium sector is staying caught up in efforts towards sustainability goals. The industry has already outlined a roadmap for climate neutrality by 2050 and wants to drive the deep transformative policies and practices needed to achieve it, mainly by cutting emissions, investing in green technologies and protecting the natural environment. Recently, Hydro, a Norwegian aluminium and renewable energy company, have signed a new strategic collaboration agreement with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) to build up professional collaborations to practice more R&D on aluminium and energy. They will together work on paving a path for the aluminium value chain to achieve decarburization conveniently, develop renewable energy production, and practice aluminium recycling.
Hydro’s President& CEO Hilde Merete Aasheim said, “Hydro and NTNU both recognize the importance of ensuring long-term sustainability in accordance with the United Nations’ sustainability goals and wish to promote collaboration to enable this.”
EGA joins the First Movers Coalition to encourage decarbonization in hard-to-abate sectors
While the whole world is joining the global initiative called the First Movers Coalition, an initiative aimed at decarbonizing the heavy industry and transport sectors responsible for 30 per cent of global emissions, Emirates Global Aluminium has not remained an exception. It is the first company headquartered in the UAE to have joined the initiative, with a core commitment to a low-carbon future through reductions in energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. It is also the first company in the world to manufacture aluminium for commercial purposes using solar energy, sold under the trade name CeletisAL.
"As a UAE company, we are committed to the nation's Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative. To decarbonise our aluminium, we have to reach net zero in our operations and our supply chain. Joining the First Movers Coalition is a powerful message to suppliers in hard-to-abate sectors that we will deploy our purchasing power to encourage decarbonisation," said Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium.
To know more: https://www.alcircle.com/news/ega-joins-the-first-movers-coalition-to-encourage-decarbonisation-in-hard-to-abate-sectors-86010
Assan Alüminyum emphasizes ESG for its long-term strategy and future goals
Assan Alüminyum, a subsidiary of Kibar Holding and the most prominent Turkish producer of flat-rolled aluminium products, has decided to give ESG (environmental, social, and governance) high priority in its long-term strategy and future plans. To improve the sustainability of its manufacturing and recycling processes, the firm adheres to the Performance Standards of the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI). The foundation for the company's ESG-focused future goals is laid by recent releases of sustainable products, corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, and sustainable expansion plans.
To know more: https://www.alcircle.com/news/assan-aluminyum-emphasizes-esg-for-its-long-term-strategy-and-future-goals-85884
Swedish engineering company Heart Aerospace to develop the world's first zero-emission flights
The heart of Scandinavia is bracing itself to receive the world's first zero-emission aviation technology developed by a group of Heart Aerospace engineers. A hangar at Gothenburg is currently housing the discovery. As Fredrik Kampfe from the Swedish Aviation Industry Group correctly puts it: "If not here, where else should be first with zero-emissions aviation?"
Sweden has set an extraordinary goal where the country is on a journey towards achieving fossil-free domestic flights by 2030. The aviation industry also aims at making each outgoing flight from the country fossil-free by 2045. This is quite a giant leap for the aviation industry since, for the first time, sustainability is at the peak of everything else.
To know more: https://www.alcircle.com/news/swedish-engineering-company-heart-aerospace-to-develop-worlds-first-zero-emission-flights-84654
Constellium provides lightweight aluminium solutions for Mercedes-Benz C-Class
As the sustainability drive has touched upon the automobile industry, automotive companies seek recycled aluminium for its different body parts. This year, Mercedes-Benz C-Class models manufactured in China, Europe or South Africa sought aluminium auto body sheet solutions from Constellium SE. Constellium supplies the aluminium required to mend the Mercedes-Benz car's roof, tailgate, fenders and hood.
To know more: https://www.alcircle.com/news/constellium-provides-lightweight-aluminium-solutions-for-mercedes-benz-c-class-83579
Novelis breaks ground on a new $50 million recycling centre in South Korea to produce low-carbon sheet ingot
It is a constant strive by world aluminium companies to accelerate recycled aluminium production to meet the global need. Recently, Novelis Incorporation, the world’s largest aluminium recycler and flat-rolled producer, broke ground on a new $50 million recycling centre in South Korea. The project will be able to produce 100 thousand tonnes of low-carbon sheet ingot annually by recycling aluminium, resulting in reducing Novelis’ carbon emissions by more than 420,000 tonnes each year.
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