Low Carbon Aluminum – The Circular Pathway

Low Carbon Aluminium – The Circular Pathway

Emilio Braghi, Senior Vice President & President Novelis Europe, about the challenges and chances of decarbonizing the aluminium industry – at CRU World Aluminium Conference 2021.

With global warming, our planet faces complex challenges. The Paris Agreement makes it very clear, we all have to contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It is a joint goal of the whole industry, and a joint obligation. The most effective way to reduce the carbon footprint of the aluminium used in final products is to maximize the recyclability and recycled content. To ensure a fully circular economy that best preserves resources and reduces CO2 emissions, both the end-of-life and the pre-consumer scrap need to be brought back into the recycling loop as early as possible in the process, before they get mixed with further materials. This requires us to redesign products and processes for recycling, increase closed-loop recycling systems, and avoid losses and waste along the value chain. We also must decrease energy intensity and increase renewable energy sourcing and generation. Moreover, innovation to develop new alloys and continuous work on collection and sorting facilities and technologies as well as increasing recycling capacities and capabilities will be key for making real progress on the decarbonization pathway.