Novelis achieves 61% recycled aluminum throughout its product range
21 Aug 2023 --- 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 tons 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.
Incorporating recycled aluminum into products is the most impactful way to reduce carbon emissions, says Novelis.Aluminum recycling boom
Metal-based packaging is suitable across industries, but especially for flexible packaging, according to experts. It is lightweight, strong and does not rust. Metal is commonly used in the aerospace, automotive, construction and packaging industries. Because it is easy to recycle, it is also an environmentally friendly choice.
We recently spoke to aluminum packager Constantia Flexibles about aluminum’s recyclability and other environmental benefits.
Constantia Flexibles finds aluminum to stand out as an “exceptional” material, as its value chain has embraced circular economy principles for decades. “When we recycle aluminum, we can turn it into new products without having to mine for more raw materials. Recycled aluminum can be used to make almost anything new aluminum can be used for,” a company spokesperson told Packaging Insights.
In related news, Hydro replaced natural gas with carbon-free green hydrogen as a fuel for aluminum recycling. The recycling test in Navarra, Spain, is the “world’s first” successful-industrial scale test of using hydrogen as an energy source in aluminum production.
“Green hydrogen is key for decarbonization of heavy industry and one of the most promising solutions to tackle hard-to-abate emissions from high heat processes in industries like aluminum, glass, cement and steel. Early preparations for this fuel switch will be a competitive advantage in the net zero markets we will have in the future,” Per Christian Eriksen, head of Hydro Havrand, told us.
Edited by Natalie Schwertheim
