Novelis introduced a new pilot material — an aluminum alloy coil made from 100% recycled end-of-life automotive aluminum scrap. The innovative material is suitable for car body outer skin applications, meeting the automotive industry’s strict requirements for surface quality and formability.
“Automotive customers are constantly looking for ways to decarbonize their products while keeping them light, safe and affordable, and that’s why they turn to us,” said Michael Hahne, vice president and general manager, Automotive, Novelis Europe. “Producing aluminum from 100% end-of-life vehicle scrap is not only a testament to our dedication to a circular future for aluminum and enhancing the supply of the critical material. It also is a groundbreaking achievement showcasing the potential for significant environmental benefits and the ability to meet the high-performance demands of modern automotive production.”
Novelis already supplies carmakers with products made of up to 85% recycled content, made possible through constant collaboration with customers, closed loop recycling systems for post-production scrap, and the growing collaboration with major suppliers of recyclable materials. The development of the new 100% recycled automotive aluminum coil was this ongoing work to continually increase the amount of recycled content in its products.
The aluminum scrap for the coil was sourced through the Automotive Circularity Platform (ACP), which was initiated together with thyssenkrupp Materials Services. As an open platform, ACP aims to streamline access to high-quality end-of-life material for recycling by digitalizing the market for secondary materials, enhancing supply chain efficiency, and maximizing material recovery from vehicles at the end of the consumer-use cycle.
As a leading sustainable aluminum solutions provider, Novelis is now working to expand the adoption of this technology, enabling automakers to incorporate higher recycled content into future vehicle designs. By increasing industry participation and enhancing the supply chain for end-of-life aluminum scrap, the company aims to accelerate the transition to a more circular automotive sector.
“We believe expanding the use of end-of-life scrap in aluminum production will further enable the automotive sector to reduce its reliance on virgin materials,” stated the company.
