The sustainable aluminium alloy Hydro Circal 75R was launched back in 2019 and consists of at least 75% recycled end-of-life material or aluminium scrap. This means that at least 75% of the aluminium used had already reached the end of its life as a product and was returned to the material cycle.
To further optimise the recycling process, the Norwegian Hydro Group is now taking the next step: advances in the procurement, sorting and traceability of post-consumer scrap (end-of-life aluminium) and an optimised smelting process now make it possible to produce Hydro Circal 75R with an indirect balance of just 1.9 kg CO2/kg aluminium (compared to two.3 kg CO2/kg aluminium previously).
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The new Hydro Circal 75R with the lower CO2 footprint is available for all Wicona aluminium systems. The values achieved are documented in an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD).
Matthias Rehberger / GW
Hydro Circal 100R with a carbon footprint of 0.5 kg CO2/kg aluminium
In addition to Hydro Circal 75R, Hydro Circal 100R - an aluminium alloy made from 100% recycled end-of-life aluminium - is also available. This offers an even lower carbon footprint of just 0.5 kg CO2/kg aluminium. This means that door, window and facade profiles can be produced with one of the lowest carbon footprints in the world. Hydro Circal 100R is currently only available for special projects.
However, thanks to advances in technology and manufacturing processes, Hydro Circal 100R will be available to more and more interested parties in the future. The Hydro Group's consistent commitment to urban mining and the further development of partnerships in this area will also contribute to this. The aim is to further expand and close the material cycle.
With the help of dynamic life cycle assessment (LCA), Wicona partners from planning/architecture and metal and facade construction can use the Wictop software to determine the actual environmental impact of each individual aluminium system - making it even easier to implement sustainable projects.
Further initiatives for consistent CO2 reduction
Ralf Seufert, Managing Director for Northern Europe at Hydro Building Systems and thus responsible for the Wicona brand, explains: "Further optimising the carbon footprint of Hydro Circal 75R is one of many initiatives as part of our business strategy. We are working intensively with suppliers and partners in the construction industry throughout the company to find new ways to reduce the impact of CO2. We have also halved the carbon footprint of the extrusion process compared to the European average, further reducing the carbon footprint of our products. There are more projects in the pipeline, including the dismantling and recycling of existing aluminium facades."
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