One year ago, Hydro launched Hydro CIRCAL, a range of prime quality aluminium made with a minimum of 75% recycled, post-consumer scrap. Today this has become a key part of Hydro’s aluminium product portfolio and an important material for WICONA's windows, doors and facades to meet the growing demand for low-carbon products. More than 100 large building projects have been signed with facades, windows and doors from the Building System brands of Hydro, included WICONA, since the greener brand Hydro CIRCAL was launched last year. The projects range from 10 to 400 tonnes of aluminium.
“This milestone highlights the potential for low-carbon aluminium products in the building industry. With strong focus on execution, our team has secured and delivered solutions for a variety of building projects. We also have several interesting projects in the pipeline,” says Henri Gomez, Head of Building Systems in Hydro. As buildings represent about 40% of greenhouse gas emissions globally and with a greater focus on sustainability from the industry, investors and government, enhanced sustainability credentials have become more and more sought-after. Hydro CIRCAL is made with recycled, post-consumer aluminium scrap. Using recycled content, energy consumption is drastically reduced while still producing high-quality products.
Demand across continents
WICONA and the other Building System brands of Hydro has won large building projects in 10 countries across two continents with Hydro CIRCAL. This represents a reduction of 25,000 tonnes of CO2, compared to using standard aluminium consumed in Europe. The company has managed to strengthen the company’s competitive position with low-carbon aluminium, enabled by technology and innovation.
“From thriving business hubs to a total revamp for iconic buildings, the span of the project we have delivered is great. We have been able to demonstrate that it is possible to use postconsumer recycled aluminium and drastically reduce energy consumption, while still producing high-quality products,” says Gomez. Hydro CIRCAL has also been recognized by experts and industry peers and won the “Breakthrough Solution of the Year Award” in the renowned S&P Global Platts Metal Awards 2020.
Hydro CIRCAL
• Hydro CIRCAL is an extrusion ingot that can be made into an array of profiles that are especially well suited for building projects. It is light yet strong, and corrosion resistant.
• Hydro CIRCAL is made of minimum 75% recycled post-consumer scrap, such as end-of-life construction products..
• Using recycled aluminium, we drastically reduce energy use in the production phase while still offering high-quality aluminium. • Operating the most advanced aluminium sorting technology in the industry allows us to provide some of the highest post-consumer recycled content aluminium available on the market.
• The higher the post-consumer recycled content, the lower the carbon footprint.
• Hydro aluminium is certified with the ASI Performance Standard and the ASI Chain of Custody Standard to document that the aluminium products are sourced and produced responsibly throughout the entire value chain.
© Dark arkitekter/Luxigon (Økern Portal, Norway)
