USA – Aluminium company, Novelis has incorporated 61% recycled aluminum across its production lines for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023.
The company says the achievement marks the highest percentage of recycled content in the aluminum flat-rolled products industry, strengthening its position as a leader in aluminum recycling and decarbonization.
Last year, Novelis recycled approximately 2.3 million metric tonnes of aluminum, including over 82 billion used beverage cans.
These numbers have grown due to innovation and partnerships to increase circularity. Novelis says it is investing “heavily” to grow its recycling capacity, with nearly US$2 billion of completed and announced investments since 2011.
Incorporating as much recycled aluminum as possible into the company’s products is the most impactful way for Novelis to reduce carbon emissions across the global value chain, the company states.
Recycling aluminum is up to 95% less energy intensive and emits approximately 95% less carbon than producing primary aluminum.
Similarly, a report by the Energy Transitions Commission suggests that low-carbon steel projects could triple within the next three years, enabling the industry to meet its emission reduction targets.
With appropriate financial investments, the report also predicts that 190 million tonnes per annum of ‘green’ production could be achieved by 2030.
In addition, Hydro has achieved a significant milestone in aluminium production by successfully producing the world’s first batch of aluminium using carbon-free hydrogen as an energy source.
Looking to use industrial-scale green hydrogen in aluminium recycling and more, Plug Power is installing five-megawatt electrolyzers into Ardagh Glass Limmared AB, Hydro Havrand, and the APEX Group’s respective plants.
These innovative initiatives are paving the way for a more sustainable and environmentally friendly future.
Novelis has been driving decarbonization projects in its plants across Europe. In March, the company and its partners at the research and development laboratory Net Zero Lab Valais, successfully completed the first year of operations, launching key energy projects aimed at enabling scope 1 and 2 carbon-neutral production at Novelis´ Sierre plant in Switzerland.
In the first year of the plant’s decarbonization journey with the Net Zero Lab Valais, the company has approved an investment in a new electrical pusher furnace, which allows the plant to pre-heat sheet ingots with renewable electricity instead of natural gas, saving around 4,500t CO2eq per year and up to 180,000 CO2eq over the furnace’s lifetime.
More recently, the company announced an investment to build solar park at aluminium recycling plant in Italy.
The solar park will reduce carbon emissions by 1,450 tonnes annually, covering around 12% of the plant’s electricity demand and allowing Novelis to switch a large portion of its energy sources from carbon-intensive to renewable ones.
Novelis has targets to reduce its carbon footprint by 30% by 2026, and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 or sooner.
With this project, the company is investing US$2.4 million in decarbonizing its production in Pieve, further supporting the development of low-carbon, sustainable aluminium solutions for the European market.
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