American aluminium smelter Century Aluminum announced earlier this week the sale of 150 thousand metric tons of its low-carbon aluminium to Austria’s Hammerer Aluminium Industries (HAI), which will be supplied to it via Glencore plc.
Century’s low-carbon aluminium Natur-Al is produced using electricity generated via fully-renewable sources at Century’s Norðurál Grundartangi aluminium smelter in Iceland. As a result, Natur-Al boasts a CO2 footprint that ranks among the world’s lowest at 2 metric tons per metric ton of smelted aluminium.
Michael Bless, Century’s President and CEO, expressed his firm’s happiness at the deal in a related press release.
“We are very pleased to be working with our colleagues at Hammerer and Glencore on our first major sale of Natur‐Al. Century is committed to working with all our partners across the supply chain to produce a sustainable and lower carbon aluminum product. We firmly believe that the Natur‐Al low‐carbon product allows Century and our customers to contribute towards a better, greener future. The use of aluminum instead of steel, or other heavier metals, in manufacturing has already delivered significant reductions in CO₂ emissions; an excellent example is the increased fuel efficiency in automobiles with significant aluminum content. Natur‐Al offers a way for manufacturers to further lighten their carbon footprint. We look forward to working with our customers on further opportunities.”
“We are delighted about this partnership that will secure the supply of aluminium produced with one of the lowest CO₂ footprints available,” explained Hammerer’s CEO Rob van Gils. “As a recycler and remelter the CO₂ content of the primary aluminium we buy has a tremendous impact on our overall footprint. This supply agreement is a clear statement that HAI group is not compromising on our commitment to sustainability. Combining Natur‐Al aluminium with our recycled materials will allow us to produce billets at less than two tonnes of CO₂ per tonne of metal. It underlines our ambition to contribute to a better future and that aluminium is part of the solution for the ambitions of the EU Green Deal.”
Robin Scheiner, Glencore’s Head of Alumina and Aluminium, said his firm saw it as their responsibility to provide low-carbon aluminium to its consumers.
“We are proud to support our long‐standing partners in the manufacture and supply of high quality, low‐carbon aluminium. Our commitment to sourcing and supplying sustainable aluminium will be enhanced through our membership of the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI). Each of us has a role to play in the energy and mobility transition. At Glencore over half the aluminium we supply is low‐carbon, a key element in our ambition to be net zero by 2050.”
Operations at Norðurál Grundartangi ehf. are certified by the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) and audited by independent firms to assure that the aluminium smelted there is responsibly sourced and produced.