All about our low-carbon offer
Limiting the environmental impact of your main materials is a core responsibility of any company, especially in light of the EU Green Deal framework. That is why Reynaers Aluminium focuses on low-carbon efforts during the production process as well as during the lifecycle of our aluminium solutions.
Aluminium is an outstanding material
We are in the business of one of the most circular and versatile building materials in the world. Aluminium has a lifespan of over 50 years. It can be recycled an infinite amount of times, without loss of quality. The recycle rate is high (95%), and 75% of aluminium ever produced in the building sector is still in use.
Architects and investors seeking to lower the carbon impact of their buildings need to focus on the materials with the biggest impact - concrete and steel. We do the same, by offering low-carbon aluminium and low-carbon thermal breaks.
Our approach to low-carbon aluminium sourcing
We collaborate with like-minded suppliers, motivated to join us in our ambitious decarbonisation roadmap. Over the past few years, these partnerships have reshaped our procurement strategy accordingly. In this new approach, we combine our fair share of recycled aluminium with new aluminium produced with clean energy, like hydropower in the smelting process, to create low-carbon aluminium. And the results speak for themselves.
Today, already more than 80% of our aluminium portfolio is low-carbon. This is thanks to our strong supplier network that we have built over the last few years. The average carbon footprint of our aluminium profiles in 2025 is 3.31 kg CO2e/kg aluminium (-35% vs. 2019). We plan to further reduce it to 2.81 by 2030 (-46% vs. 2019), which is in line with EU Green Deal legislation. That's good news for your project, and our planet!
Project-level simulation and optimization
For projects with specific carbon requirements, we can simulate the embodied carbon footprint of the aluminium based on current design and material choices. If you still want to achieve even lower carbon levels, we can optimise our offer through targeted aluminium sourcing and configuration.
Want to learn more about carbon simulation and optimization? Read more in this dedicated blog article.
Breaking down the thermal break impact
Our standard thermal break offer mainly consists of polyamide (75%), reinforced with glass fibre (25%). For our low-carbon thermal breaks, we use the same materials, but the polyamide is 100% recycled. So, low-carbon thermal break = 75% polyamide (100% recycled) + 25% glass fibre. And more than 70% of our thermal break portfolio is low-carbon. This is what is expected by the EU Green Deal to decarbonise the building sector.
In-house insulation sites in Belgium, Poland and Ukraine help us keep a close eye on the delivered quality. At Reynaers Campus in Belgium, the ERAP team processes an impressive 8,150 kilometres of insulated profiles every year (2025). That's enough to stretch from Brussels to Beijing! While thermal breaks are only a small part of our solutions, the figures show we cannot ignore their collective environmental impact.
Aluminium profiles only account for 3% of the embodied carbon of a building – i.e., emissions originating from materials used, construction and end-of-life processes of a building. The impact of the thermal breaks that are part of these profiles, is even smaller. Still, we do our share of the work to help you reach your sustainable goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the carbon footprint of Reynaers Aluminium profiles?
The average carbon footprint of our aluminium profiles in 2025 is 3.31 kg CO2e/kg aluminium (billet + extrusion), which is a -35% reduction compared to our 2019 baseline. We plan to further reduce it to 2.81 by 2030 (-46% vs. 2019), which is in line with EU Green Deal legislation.
Additionally, more than 80% of our aluminium supply consists of low-carbon aluminium (European distribution network).
What is low-carbon aluminium?
While "low-carbon" primary aluminium is not formally defined, it encompasses all virgin material with a carbon footprint equal to or lower than 4.38 kgCO2/kg aluminium (billet + extrusion). In practice, low-carbon aluminium is a mix of recycled aluminium and low-carbon primary aluminium produced with clean energy.
For a full analysis of the topic, you can visit the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) website for more details.
What are low-carbon thermal breaks?
A standard thermal break is made of polyamide - a high-performance polymer - reinforced with glass fiber. That's roughly 75% polyamide and 20% glass fiber. Low-carbon thermal breaks use the same materials, but with one key difference: the polyamide is 100% recycled. So, low-carbon thermal break = 75% polyamide (100% recycled) + 25% glass fibre.
This is what is expected by the EU Green Deal to decarbonise the building sector.
Why should I care about the carbon impact of my windows?
In Europe, the Green Deal demands the construction sector to cut buildings' "embodied" carbon by 50% by 2030, with at least 50% of low-carbon materials. If you are an architect or contractor, it makes sense to tackle the biggest impact areas first: steel and concrete. We do the same at Reynaers Aluminium, focusing on our key materials: aluminium and thermal breaks.
And yes, aluminium profiles only account for 3% of a building's carbon footprint, and thermal breaks even for a smaller portion. Yet we do our share of the work, because every detail counts when you are building for a better future.
