ENVIRONMENT
Sustainable Aluminium from Start to Finish
Aluminium products have a long lifespan – limiting how much is available for recycling and reuse.
15 September, 2016
A new study finds nearly 91 percent of the aluminium used in the automotive industry is recycled when vehicles reach their end of life milestone.
In the United States alone, there are 12.6 million cars and light trucks entering that phase each year. The peer-reviewed study, funded by the Aluminum Association and completed by the Worcester Polytechnical Institute, rightly celebrates just how environmentally friendly aluminium is, and the key role the material plays in a sustainable future.
That is a common refrain in the industry, as aluminium basks in the spotlight created by the global effort to reduce carbon emissions and deliver high quality, eco-friendly goods to market. Often lost when the conversation is limited to aluminium, and this framework of impressive recycling rates, is just how much aluminium is not being recycled because its durability and longevity are keeping it in service.
That is a common refrain in the industry, as aluminium basks in the spotlight created by the global effort to reduce carbon emissions and deliver high quality, eco-friendly goods to market. Often lost when the conversation is limited to aluminium, and this framework of impressive recycling rates, is just how much aluminium is not being recycled because its durability and longevity are keeping it in service.
Consider the new urban lighting fixtures adopted in one British community because they have a 70-year lifespan. In residential homes, copper-clad aluminium wiring has more than 100 years of life expectancy, while the gutters and downspouts can last longer than 40 years. Contractors routinely tout aluminium's longevity and advantages over steel construction materials, as they promise decades of reliable use.
This is great news in a world seeking climate solutions, and it means that the primary production sector will always hold its lion's share of the market because there's never enough recycled aluminium at hand. It also means that the aluminium industry needs to align its end-to-end operations with sustainability goals, because the inputs into new aluminium production are a true measure of its environmental value and impact. These practices – in mining and energy-intensive production, in transport – will remain critical.
Image: Kaiser Aluminium
This is great news in a world seeking climate solutions, and it means that the primary production sector will always hold its lion's share of the market because there's never enough recycled aluminium at hand. It also means that the aluminium industry needs to align its end-to-end operations with sustainability goals, because the inputs into new aluminium production are a true measure of its environmental value and impact. These practices – in mining and energy-intensive production, in transport – will remain critical.
Image: Kaiser Aluminium
As it stands today, about 75 percent of the aluminium ever produced in the industrial era is still in use. Likewise, the recycled aluminium that's on the market now was mined and manufactured years ago. It's motivating to know that, as in the case of the vehicle study, most of that aluminium is reusable. Yet that positive news is tempered by the reality that the bauxite extraction that began the old-vehicle lifespan didn't measure up to today's best practices for limiting environmental impact.
The power supply that generated the energy for smelting wasn't clean. The product manufacturing process wasn't efficient or eco-friendly. The transportation network didn't deliver with optimal logistics, and it didn't deliver with more efficient freight and rail options. It's the product itself – packaging or panels or Porsches—that essentially sequesters those inputs and their climate costs. Recycling mitigates but cannot erase that.
The power supply that generated the energy for smelting wasn't clean. The product manufacturing process wasn't efficient or eco-friendly. The transportation network didn't deliver with optimal logistics, and it didn't deliver with more efficient freight and rail options. It's the product itself – packaging or panels or Porsches—that essentially sequesters those inputs and their climate costs. Recycling mitigates but cannot erase that.
Furthermore, the long product lifespan limits its availability. That is why true life-cycle assessment (LCA) is as important to aluminium production as it is to a sustainable future – and why producers need to adopt best practices that reflect more than a recycled-content equation, and deliver real meaning and value.
Already, the North American industry reports a 37 percent reduction in overall carbon footprint; that includes a 26 percent drop in energy use from 1995 to 2010. It's been achieved with increased reliance on computer technology, renewable power sources and energy efficiency at facilities. The EU industry is committed to the sustainable mining of bauxite, the raw material imported from Malaysia and other tropical nations as they struggle to improve their own environmental standards. Russian producer UC RUSAL relies heavily on hydropower, and reduced total CO2 emissions another 9 percent in 2014.
What all of these industry pillars have in common is that they see the big picture for primary producers, and are now immersing themselves in how to keep aluminium eco-friendly across all stages of its lifespan.
What all of these industry pillars have in common is that they see the big picture for primary producers, and are now immersing themselves in how to keep aluminium eco-friendly across all stages of its lifespan.
Banner image: Planet Ark