World’s biggest aluminium shipbuilder, Austal, leads the green revolution with Capral’s LocAl®

Australian shipbuilder Austal has announced its commitment to using LocAl® low-carbon aluminium from Capral to enhance sustainable manufacturing and responsible procurement practices.

Capral & Austal

Austal, renowned for its advanced defence and commercial vessel platforms, offers various products, including passenger ferries, patrol boats, high-speed support vessels, surface combatants, and innovative multi-role vessels.

Capral, a long-time supplier to Austal, provides proprietary aluminium extrusions and rolled products essential for their varied manufacturing requirements. By integrating sustainability into its operations, business planning, and investment decisions, Austal is making significant progress in aligning its strategies with the expectations and needs of stakeholders, customers, and communities.

"Austal has made a public commitment to achieve a reduction of embodied emissions, and this includes Scope 1, 2 and 3-upstream. In selecting materials for incorporation into our products, we consider material longevity, durability, and repairability to ensure the vessels we construct are of high quality as well as efficient and long-lasting. Our aim is to manufacture vessels that are highly economical and sustainable over their lifecycle," said sales Operations Manager Matthew Klingberg.

Austal's commitment towards sustainability

Austal recognises that sustainability encompasses more than just material choices; it extends to all facets of its operations. The company has implemented a range of initiatives to reduce carbon emissions and enhance energy efficiency within its manufacturing processes. This includes investing in energy-efficient equipment and technologies to optimise production. By embracing advanced technologies and innovative practices, Austal effectively minimises waste, lowers energy consumption, and boosts overall operational efficiency.

"When we introduced LocAl® Green Aluminium in October 2022, we knew that organisations like Austal had a requirement for more sustainable aluminium options supplied locally within Australia. At eight kilograms of carbon emissions per kilogram of aluminium, the LocAl® Green offer has substantially lower carbon emissions than the current global average for primary aluminium. It gives Australian shipbuilders like Austal an important opportunity to make more responsible procurement decisions when they source extruded aluminium," commented Luke Hawkins, Division General Manager of Industrial and Supply Chain.

Austal's journey towards LocAl®

In early 2023, Austal committed to transitioning their locally extruded aluminium to Capral's LocAl® Green offer, introduced in late 2022, where feasible. LocAl® Green, with carbon emissions of 8kg CO2e/kg Al*, provides a significantly lower-carbon alternative compared to traditional aluminium, offering Australian manufacturers a cleaner, greener option for extruded aluminium.

Given the typical lifespan of 20 to 30 years for vessels produced by shipbuilding, Austal acknowledges the importance of understanding and leveraging opportunities to reduce GHG emissions throughout this extended period. Sales Operations Manager Matthew Klingberg underscores the significance of this approach in achieving a sustainable business model.

Austal's downstream Scope 3 emissions

"Austal's downstream Scope 3 emissions are also our customers' Scope 1 emissions. When we actively make decisions to reduce the emissions associated with the materials we use to construct our vessels, by sourcing LocAl® Green aluminium from Capral, we are delivering a far more sustainable solution to our customers," added Matthew Klingberg.

Austal is dedicated to minimising the environmental footprint of the aluminium used in its vessels by prioritising "green aluminium." However, the flexibility in sourcing is somewhat limited due to the company's need for specific grades of marine-quality aluminium.

"Implementing environmental stewardship is increasingly important to align with regulatory requirements, safeguard our business reputation and address our stakeholder expectations. Austal seeks to manage the environmental impact of our operations and products and contributing to the global transition to a low-carbon economy," said Neil Formosa, Strategic Procurement Manager.