Over the last few decades, sustainability has evolved from a buzzword to a way of doing business for countless industries. Sustainable initiatives prioritize eco-friendly practices, with the intent to conserve resources and minimize impact on the environment. The aluminum business is no exception to this global initiative.
Understanding the terminology related to aluminum sustainability will help you make more informed choices. This guide will explore several of the most used phrases and the concepts behind them.
Sustainability and Carbon Footprint
When it comes to aluminum production, sustainability applies generally to the manufacturing and treatment processes. It focuses heavily on recycling initiatives to help preserve natural resources and conserve energy. This is mainly due to aluminum being “infinitely recyclable” coupled with the fact that processing recycled aluminum uses only 5% of the energy that new aluminum production requires. That’s a considerable savings!
Carbon footprint covers much more than just manufacturing. It is a measure of the product’s total greenhouse gas emissions it produces directly and indirectly throughout its lifecycle. For aluminum products, the lifecycle starts with raw material extraction, through processing, transportation and product end of life.
Making Sense of Aluminum Recycling Terminology
Now, let’s dig into the terms specific to the aluminum industry. Most of these are covered under ISO 14021, which specifies environmental labels and declarations for self-declared environmental claims.
Aluminum Scrap – generally refers to collected material that will be reprocessed into usable forms. Aluminum has a unique and beneficial feature when compared to other materials: it maintains its properties and does not degrade when recycled. So, when purchasing aluminum that incorporates scrap, buyers are supporting a circular economy that reduces waste and energy consumption.
Post-Consumer vs. Pre-Consumer Material
These phrases refer to the source of recycled aluminum. Post Consumer material typically describes aluminum used in products that have completed their lifecycle. The most popular example is beverage cans, but this also includes other common items such as window frames, car and plane parts, and many others.
Pre-Consumer Material refers to the scrap that is generated and diverted during manufacturing processes. It typically includes trim and cuttings from aluminum production that are collected and reprocessed. It can come from other manufacturing processes as well, depending on how the material is used and handled.
Recycled Content and Recycling Rate: Two Key Specification Metrics
Recycled content represents the proportion, by mass, of recycled material (both pre-consumer and post-consumer) in the finished product. Buyers that specify higher recycled content percentages can significantly reduce the environmental footprint of their overall supply chain and final products.
The recycling rate provides insight into material recovery efficiency at the end of a product’s life. When designing products with aluminum, considering how easily the aluminum can be recovered and recycled after use enhances your product’s overall sustainability profile. Aluminum has one of the highest recycling rates among common materials, with some industry sectors achieving rates above 90%.
Leveraging Sustainability in Your Decision-Making
For procurement professionals and product designers, understanding these sustainability concepts helps enables to:
- Develop more precise specifications for aluminum purchases
- Make design decisions that facilitate future recycling
- Accurately communicate your product’s environmental benefits to customers
By incorporating these sustainability considerations into your aluminum sourcing strategy, you not only reduce your environmental impact but also potentially realize cost savings, meet regulatory requirements, and respond to growing customer demand for environmentally responsible products.