“Our customers are asking for more low-carbon products to further lower their carbon footprint and it’s exciting to be able to offer Hydro CIRCAL at Lucé. This also helps to accelerate the circular economy in Europe,” says Eivind Kallevik, Executive Vice President of Hydro Aluminium Metal.

Recycling scrap aluminium requires only 5 percent of the energy used to produce primary aluminium, saving energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Certified low-carbon aluminium

By adding capabilities to produce Hydro CIRCAL at Lucé, Hydro will be able to supply customers in the region with more certified low-carbon aluminium.

“We are proud to be the first plant in France certified to produce Hydro CIRCAL, producing low-carbon recycled aluminium for our customers. This is a great recognition of the team in Lucé, knowing how hard we have worked to get this certification. I am very proud of the team,” says Karl Willart, Director of Operations at Hydro Lucé.

Important enabler to strengthen position in low-carbon aluminium

The initial annual production of Hydro CIRCAL from Lucé is expected to be around 1000 tonnes. The independent risk management and quality assurance company DNV-GL issued the certificate for production on October 28, 2022.

Increased recycling of post-consumer scrap is one of three main initiatives in Hydro's climate strategy. Hydro's goal is to double the use of post-consumer scrap by 2025, from around 250,000 tonnes to over 500,000 tonnes per year. The use of post-consumer scrap significantly reduces the CO2 footprint compared to pre-consumer (process) scrap as well as to primary aluminium.

Earlier this year, Hydro produced its first batch of Hydro CIRCAL 100R at its recycler in Clearveaux, Luxembourg.