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UK’s first hydrogen trial in aluminium recycling confirms technical feasibility and earns top global recognition for innovation in hard-to-decarbonize sectors at the IEA Hydrogen TCP Awards of Excellence 2025.

 

Warrington, UK /27 August 2025 – Novelis Inc., a leading sustainable aluminium solutions provider and the world leader in aluminium rolling and recycling, today announced that it has successfully completed the UK’s first full-scale hydrogen fuel switching demonstration in the aluminium industry at its Latchford plant, marking a major step toward industrial decarbonization.

The two-week trial, funded by the UK Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ) £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP)Industrial Fuel Switching (IFS) Competition, involved converting a natural gas furnace to operate flexibly on hydrogen.

This trial has been a major achievement for our team. It demonstrated that we can adapt our existing infrastructure to run on hydrogen without compromising safety, quality, or performance. It’s a practical step forward in reducing our site’s carbon footprint and preparing for a low-carbon future.

Allan Sweeny, Plant Manager at Novelis Latchford

The demonstration confirmed that hydrogen can be safely delivered and combusted in aluminium recycling furnaces. Existing infrastructure was successfully adapted, product quality remained consistent, and dual-fuel burners allowed for operational flexibility. Novelis partnered with Progressive Energy to deliver the project over a two-year period.

In recognition of this achievement, the project was awarded the IEA Hydrogen TCP Award of Excellence 2025, presented in Busan, South Korea. The award highlights innovations in hydrogen technologies for hard-to-decarbonize sectors and sustainable fuels. Novelis was selected as the first winner among 13 global entries. The ceremony took place during the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) event, attended by energy leaders and government officials from over 24 countries including the US, UK, Germany, China, Brazil, South Africa, South Korea, and the European Commission.

The trial also underscored the need for robust infrastructure to support bulk hydrogen supply and distribution. Mechanisms like the UK’s Low Carbon Hydrogen Agreement (LCHA) are a positive start, but widespread transport and storage networks will be essential for industrial decarbonization in the North-West.

The successful execution of this program gives Novelis the technical confidence to eliminate up to 45,000 tonnes of direct CO₂ emissions annually at the Latchford site, contingent on hydrogen availability. Future deployment depends on connection to the HyNet hydrogen network, expected from 2031, or on-site electrolytic production.

In parallel, Novelis is investing approximately $90 million to double the recycling capacity for used beverage cans (UBCs) at Latchford. This expansion will increase capacity by 85 kilotonnes per year and reduce Novelis Europe’s CO₂e emissions by more than 350,000 tonnes annually.

As part of its Novelis 3×30 vision, the company has set ambitious sustainability targets to achieve by the end of 2030, including increasing recycled content to 75% from today’s 63%, reducing carbon emissions to less than 3 tonnes CO2e per tonne aluminium shipped, and continuing to lead the industry to circularity through first-mover investments. These are in addition to the company’s goal to be carbon neutral by 2050 or sooner.

For more information: Significant step toward carbon-neutral production: Novelis successfully tests industrial scale use of hydrogen in a recycling furnace

About The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero provides dedicated leadership focused on delivering security of energy supply, ensuring properly functioning markets, greater energy efficiency and seizing the opportunities of net zero to lead the world in new green industries.

The Novelis – HyNet Industrial Fuel Switching is part of the Department’s £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio which provides funding for low-carbon technologies and systems and aims to decrease the costs of decarbonisation helping enable the UK to end its contribution to climate change.

We are excited to announce that Novelis has been shortlisted for the prestigious World Sustainability Awards 2024 for our entry “Novelis Partners with OEMs for Closed-Loop Recycling” in the Sustainable Technology Provider Award category. This recognition celebrates our commitment to sustainability and innovation in the aluminum industry.

Overview of the Entry:

Novelis, the global leader in aluminum recycling and a key supplier to the automotive industry, has established groundbreaking, closed-loop-recycling partnerships with several major automakers. These partnerships allow us to reclaim and recycle aluminum scrap generated during OEMs’ manufacturing processes, turning it back into high-quality aluminum sheets for new vehicle production.

The Challenge:

The automotive market presents unique challenges in recycling. Traditionally, automakers sold their aluminum scrap to recyclers, leading to inefficiencies and unnecessary costs. This process often downgraded the high-value aluminum scrap, preventing it from being reused in new automotive parts.

Our Approach:

Recognizing these inefficiencies, Novelis develops innovative closed-loop recycling systems in collaboration with automakers. These systems ensure the highest value use of aluminum scrap, maintaining the integrity of high-value aluminum sheets and reducing carbon emissions.

Outcome:

As the world’s largest recycler of aluminum, Novelis leverages the infinite recyclability of aluminum to deliver sustainable solutions. Recycling aluminum uses only 5% of the energy required to produce primary aluminum, reducing carbon emissions by up to 95%. Our closed-loop-recycling partnerships help automakers reduce their environmental impact, meet regulatory requirements, and appeal to eco-conscious consumers.

About Novelis:

Novelis is the leading producer of flat-rolled aluminum products and the world’s largest recycler of aluminum. We partner with customers in the automotive, beverage packaging, aerospace and specialties industries to deliver sustainable solutions across North America, Europe, Asia, and South America. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Novelis operates 31 facilities in nine countries and employs approximately 13,190 people. Novelis is a subsidiary of Hindalco Industries Limited, the metals flagship company of the Aditya Birla Group.

Our Commitment to Sustainability:

At Novelis, sustainability is at the core of everything we do. We work closely with our customers to leverage aluminum’s unique properties, delivering solutions that meet their needs and create a more circular economy. Our expertise in closed-loop recycling and our ability to partner with industry leaders enable us to drive sustainability forward.

We are honored to be shortlisted for the World Sustainability Awards 2024 and look forward to continuing our journey toward a more sustainable future.

Read more about our sustainability efforts here.

During its annual North America Business Partner of the Year awards, Specialties customer DENSO recognized Novelis with the 2020 Supplier Diversity and Community Activities award. The award highlights our Novelis Neighbor program, several volunteer events held in FY20 and our recent efforts to improve supplier diversity.

“This recognition marks the third year in a row that Novelis has been recognized by DENSO at its annual awards program,” said Richard Eastwood, Sr. Sales Manager. “We should be proud that our customer recognizes that we are demonstrating our purpose of shaping a sustainable world together.”

DENSO is a $47.6 billion global mobility supplier that produces technology and components for nearly every vehicle make and model on the road today. Novelis supplies DENSO with bare fin, clad fin and bare sheet for the production of heat exchangers such as radiators, heater cores, condensers and evaporators.

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