Reynaers Aluminium, leading European provider of high-quality, innovative aluminium systems, again confirmed its commitment to enhance the use of recycled aluminium, both pre-customer (industrial waste) and post-customer (construction waste), in its normal production processes. This declaration supports the company’s well-known strong stand on sustainable innovation and its concern for the environment.
Reynaers is constantly investigating innovative ways to improve the recyclability of its products. It guarantees that aluminium windows can be recycled into new windows, by involving all stakeholders. Reynaers entered into partnerships with suppliers that are specialized in recycling aluminium in order to build on their expertise and to broaden their base of best practices in this regard.
The Green Metal
Aluminium’s high durability and 100% recyclability without loss of quality has established its reputation as the green metal. Its remarkable strength and low maintenance characteristics make it the ultimate construction material for an industry that is constantly searching for stronger, lighter, more durable and greener alternatives. Aluminium does not release toxic emissions during its processing or during usage and it does not corrode, making it safe for humans. It is also very light, requiring much less energy for its transportation, thereby reducing the levels of CO2 emissions.
But the value of aluminium does not end there: more than 75% of all aluminium produced in its short history of just over 100 years, is still in use today. This establishes a virtual aluminium pool that continuously replenishes itself from its own applications (e.g. building material, beverage cans, automobile components, etc).
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Recycling one ton of aluminium saves about 4 tons of bauxite, its main virgin source, and 95% of the energy required to produce primary aluminium. This, in turn, saves 9 tons of CO2 emissions. The recycling of aluminium scrap currently saves around 80 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each year. This is equivalent to removing 15 million cars from the world’s roads.
Scrap scarcity
Practically all aluminium production waste can directly be recovered as a raw material feeding back into the production loop. Recycled aluminium is therefore as valuable as the primary metal itself and aluminium scrap should be treated as such. Reynaers Aluminium’s declared policy to actively encourage the recycling of aluminium makes perfect business and ecological sense.
The availability of secondary aluminium is, however, a major challenge. Only 40% of market demand can currently be met from aluminium scrap. This figure is likely to increase as more and more buildings that had been built 30 to 40 years after the first aluminium was used for windows and doors, are now being renovated or replaced by new ones. This trend should gradually make more and more used aluminium available for recycling.
The end-of-life collection rate for aluminium in the building sector is the highest of all industries and ranges between 92 and 98%. This is followed by the transport/automotive sector (95%) and packaging (50%).
Says Reynaers CTO, Erik Rasker: “To us the issue of recycling of our primary resource is not only part of the company's growth strategy, but it also vividly illustrates our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) commitment to our people, our planet and our profits.”
The Amnesty International case
Reynaers Aluminium recently documented the entire recycling process for aluminium windows. This document was created using a practical case study. Together with E-max, a Belgian aluminium extruder, Reynaers undertook the renovation of the old aluminium façade of a major office of Amnesty International in Belgium. The complete process of removing the windows, re-melting them, and extruding the aluminium into new profiles was filmed and can be viewed on the website: www.reynaers.com/recycling.
Further information
Els Fonteyne, Group Communication Manager
e-mail: Els.Fonteyne@reynaers.com
Tel: +32-15-30-86-74
www.reynaers.com – www.alu-inspiration.com