Green Aluminium Center Green Aluminium Center Welcome to the Green Aluminium Center—the one-stop destination for the latest news, insightful research and exclusive interviews dedicated to low-carbon aluminium brought to you by Fastmarkets and RUSAL.As a durable, lightweight and endlessly recyclable material, aluminium is set to play a central role in the low-carbon economy of the future. Whether it’s electric vehicles, solar panels or environmentally conscious packaging, aluminium is ubiquitous in next-generation technologies and products. But to transform the future economy, aluminium needs to undergo its own transition. Production of the metal accounts for 2% of global carbon emissions due to the huge amount of electricity required in the smelting process. Traditionally, this energy has come from coal; but a revolution is taking place in the sector. Powered by renewable energy sources, low-carbon aluminium is being produced with a carbon intensity almost five times lower than the global average.Low-carbon aluminium can play a key role in reducing embodied emissions across sectors as efforts continue around the world to build back better from the COVID-19 pandemic. On this site you’ll find the latest news on innovations in low-carbon aluminium and announcements from key participants in the market. From world-leading experts, you’ll also discover insightful research, major whitepapers and exclusive interviews exploring the part aluminium has to play in the advent of a low-carbon economy. Articles Low-carbon aluminium leads the way to product sustainability In the race to save the plant, no one can afford to sit on the sidelines. Aluminium producers and consumers alike are turning to low-carbon aluminium to meet the challenge. Low-carbon aluminium products expected to continue to make further inroads While at this point low-carbon aluminium (LCA) is still a fairly low-volume, niche product, it is widely believed that LCA products will make significant inroads into the marketplace – helped by the global push for a transition to a lower-carbon economy Whitepapers Solutions for sustainable construction and renovation - BioNova The whitepaper outlines the challenge for the construction sector in reducing its contribution to climate change, where construction materials manufacturing, use, and end of life cause 11% of all global carbon emissions, and where global building stock will double by 2060.The whitepaper discusses the potential for low carbon aluminium to reduce embodied carbon in buildings and analyses the potential impact in typical commercial buildings, tenant renovation projects and also when low carbon aluminium is used for specific house parts such as aluminium windows and partition walls. The report also looks at the business case for low carbon aluminium, touching on increasing compliance and certification credits that favour the use of sustainable construction materials, and customer expectations that construction companies are environmentally responsible. According to the report, nearly all green building certification systems, including LEED and BREEAM, favour products and suppliers that can demonstrate low-carbon products and solutions. It also mentions that governments are moving embodied carbon agenda forward with regulatory preparations The case for low carbon primary aluminium labelling - The Carbon Trust The Carbon Trust contends that, with recycled aluminium unable to satisfy demand, a means of identifying low-carbon primary aluminium is needed. It notes the lack of consistency among definitions for low-carbon aluminium, both with regards to the threshold for carbon intensity and the scope of the footprint being measured. In response to this challenge, the whitepaper seeks to establish a clear methodology for calculating the carbon footprint of primary aluminium that accounts for the specific source of electricity used in the production process. It notes that this source of electricity is by far the most resource intensive aspect of the electrolysis process, accounting for nearly 70% of primary aluminium’s carbon footprint. With its methodology, the Carbon Trust aims to establish the basis of a qualification criteria for materials to carry a low-carbon aluminium label. Crucially, it writes, such a label and the measurement calculations supporting it, would ideally be used by many primary aluminium producers, presenting purchasers with a valued common label of what can be regarded ‘lower carbon primary aluminium’. The Carbon Trust concludes that the ‘lower carbon primary aluminium’ label should be defined by the threshold of 4tCO2e per tonne of aluminium for the process emissions from aluminium electrolysis, anode production and aluminium casting. It believes the carbon footprint measurement should follow the IAI’s methodology, with a uniform approach to electricity impact accounting. Emissions labelling should, it argues, begin with the IAI’s Level 1 standard of disclosure, before expanding out to full cradle-to-gate transparency by early 2023. Moreover, in order for the aluminium sector to stay on course with science-based targets aligned to the Paris Agreement goals, the Carbon Trust adds that the threshold level for this label should be reviewed regularly. Press Releases EN+ group sets sector beating targets for ghg emissions reduction 18 January 2021 - EN+ GROUP IPJSC (the "Company", "En+" or the "Group") (LSE: ENPL; MOEX: ENPG) has announced its ambition to become net zero by 2050 and to reduce greenhouse gas ("GHG") emissions by at least 35% by 2030. Trafigura and Financing Partners establish "Low Carbon Aluminium" financing facilit Trafigura Group Pte Ltd. (“Trafigura”), a market leader in the global commodities industry and one of the world’s chief independent aluminium traders, has established a ‘low carbon aluminium’ financing platform of up to USD500 million. Natixis and Rabobank supported Trafigura in the design and structuring of this innovative instrument.
