American aluminium smelter Century Aluminum Company announced yesterday the launch of a new low-carbon aluminium made with energy soley derived from renewable sources.
According to the firm, Natur-Al is produced in a process that releases just one-fourth of the CO2 of the industry standard. Natur-Al produces only 4 metric tons of CO2 per metric ton of primary aluminium, giving it one of the smallest carbon footprints for smelted aluminium on Earth.
Meanwhile, Natur-Al ZERO is Century’s new line of fully-offset, carbon neutral primary aluminium. In addition to being produced in a low-carbon process, Natur-Al ZERO offsets its already-low carbon footprint by contributing to reforestation and wetland-reclamation projects.
Century Aluminum’s Chief Commercial Officer Ágúst Hafberg said its new offering is in part a response to a demand for low-carbon raw materials from its customers and the market in general.
“We are very proud to introduce the Natur-Al line of low carbon aluminum. Century Aluminum is committed to work with its customers towards more sustainable and lower carbon products and respond to increased customer demand for responsible aluminum production. Natur-Al enables our customers to significantly reduce or fully offset the carbon footprint of their products.”
Natur-Al is produced entirely at Norðurál Grundartangi aluminium smelter in Iceland, where its low-carbon production process is certified by the Aluminium Stewardship Institute and certified by third-party auditors. Century says it allows its customers to more easily conduct life-cycle assessments.