Primary aluminium manufacturing in North America has reduced carbon footprint by 49%

The energy and carbon impact of aluminium manufacturing in North America has decreased to its lowest point in history, says a new third-party critical-reviewed life cycle assessment (LCA) study. Primary aluminium manufacturing has reduced its carbon footprint by 49% since 1991, while recycled aluminium production has reduced its carbon impact by 60%. The energy required to create primary and recycled (or secondary) aluminium has decreased by 27% and 49%, respectively, during the same time span.

The carbon footprint of aluminium production (including primary and secondary) decreased by 5 to 21% between 2010 and 2016. Aluminium produced in North America, which depends mainly on renewable hydropower, is among the cleanest in the world, according to the analysis.

The Environmental Footprint of Semi-Fabricated Aluminium Products in North America Life Cycle Assessment report, developed in collaboration with sustainability consultancy Sphera, quantifies all material, energy, and environmental release impacts across the entire aluminium product life cycle, from raw material acquisition to end-of-life recycling and/or disposal. The research takes into account both the cradle-to-gate and cradle-to-grave stages of the life cycle. In 2016, aluminium and aluminium products were manufactured in North America, according to the study.

“The U.S. aluminum industry continues to innovate and find ways to produce this essential metal in as environmentally sustainable way as possible. And we’re nowhere close to done – every day, our members pursue new approaches to make this lightweight, durable and infinitely recyclable material using less energy and with lower emissions,” said Charles Johnson, president & CEO of the Aluminum Association.

According to the LCA research, raw material aluminium production – which includes both primary and recycled metal – is the single greatest component of the industry's environmental impact for product manufacture, and it has improved the most in recent years. Semi-fabricated aluminium manufacturing has also improved its impact (Semi-fabricated aluminium is an "intermediate good" that has undergone significant processing but requires additional working before it is a finished product). Manufacturing process controls, efficiency gains owing to economies of scale, the phase-out of obsolete smelting technologies, and the substitution of coal-fired power for renewable electricity in smelting have all contributed to this upward trend.

“Beyond the upfront manufacturing impact, it’s also important to remember how much aluminum benefits products throughout their use phase. Aluminum makes buildings greener and last longer; vehicles go further using less energy; and packaging lighter, more efficient to ship and easier to recycle,” added Johnson.

Significant disparities in the environmental impact of various aluminium products are also driven by regional variances in basic aluminium production. The LCA examines the energy usage and carbon footprint of several product categories for the automotive industry, including extruded aluminium, aluminium sheet, aluminium foil, die cast aluminium, and aluminium sheet and extrusions. Even assuming identical levels of recycled aluminium consumption, manufacturing these items in China or the Middle East – which rely heavily on coal and natural-gas-based energy – may be two to three times as carbon heavy as manufacturing equivalent products in North America.

 “We are proud of the fact that we make some of the cleanest aluminum in the world right here in North America. The message is clear – bolstering domestic aluminum production is good for U.S. manufacturing jobs and good for the climate,” said Johnson

Increased aluminium recycling also contributes to the industry's sustainability. Recycling aluminium uses 94% less carbon than producing basic aluminium. Improving the rate of end-of-life aluminium recycling can also have a significant influence. By increasing the recycling rate of aluminium by 1%, the overall carbon footprint of the product may be reduced by 80 kg of CO2 equivalent every 1,000 kg of aluminium produced.

Every year, more than a million tonnes of aluminium wind up in landfills in North America alone, resulting in a tremendous economic and environmental loss. The Aluminum Association is dedicated to expanding aluminium recycling rates and is working on a number of fronts to achieve this objective, including campaigning for additional recycling infrastructure investment and other legislative reforms to encourage more collection and capture of used aluminium. Last year, the Aluminum Association joined the Can Manufacturers Institute in approving an ambitious goal of having 70% of aluminium cans recycled in the United States by 2030.

The Aluminum Association began the Choose Aluminium campaign in 2021 to emphasise how the aluminium sector contributes to sustainable development in the United States and across the world. The group produced the U.S. Aluminium Sector Sector Snapshot this spring, which showed favourable environmental trend lines for the industry on practically every metric during the 1990s - a time when aluminium demand increased by 25%. Since 1991, the carbon intensity of aluminium beverage can manufacture has decreased by 40%, according to a product life cycle assessment analysis. Videos with workers and aluminium leaders, a new sustainability website at ChooseAluminum.org, and extra material promoting the sustainable attributes of the 100% recyclable, durable metal are all part of the ongoing effort.