Toward a certified circular economy

Making windows from recycled windows

Circular or environmentally conscious construction is the future for the entire construction industry, but it is also one of the biggest challenges. "Construction is still one of the largest consumers of raw materials," knows Danny Decaluwaert, Project Manager at SAPA, part of the Hydro Group. "But also one of the biggest generators of difficult or non-recyclable waste. For this reason, circularity in construction is mainly about downcycling. However, not so with Hydro Group and SAPA's products, which can be recycled an infinite number of times."

"In the extrusion of SAPA profiles, we use aluminum with a low carbon footprint," says Decaluwaert. "To this end, we actively use renewable energy sources, such as hydropower, wind and solar energy. We are also investing in the production of green hydrogen on an industrial scale and are increasingly recycling post-consumer aluminum. Unlike pre-consumer aluminum, which is effectively production waste, our Hydro CIRCAL 75R is obtained from old windows, doors and façade systems that have reached the end of their technical lifespan. High-quality recycling of these products within Europe drastically reduces damage at the extraction site, depletion of non-renewable resources, consumption of non-renewable energy as well as greenhouse gas emissions. This makes Hydro CIRCAL 75R much more environmentally friendly than primary aluminum. Not for nothing is Hydro CIRCAL 75R the first independently certified recycled aluminum in the market."

Exactly the right alloy

All material to be recycled undergoes rigorous selection, Decaluwaert emphasizes. "The aluminum is also carefully sorted. Our plant in Dormagen, Germany, has developed a specific technology for this purpose, effectively separating the aluminum from other materials such as magnesium, manganese, copper, zinc, silicon, titanium and chromium. Thanks to the technology, recycled aluminum with exactly the right alloy is sent to our smelters for the manufacture of new profile systems." The entire recycling process is externally certified by DNV-GL.

High rates of post-consumed aluminum

The Hydro Group is the first company to receive an Aluminum Stewardship Initiative (ASI); the internationally recognized standard for assessing, among other things, sustainability throughout the entire life cycle of aluminum, from its mining to its production, use and recycling. "Meanwhile, almost the entire SAPA range for BeNeLux is produced with Hydro CIRCAL 75R," says Decaluwaert. "These profiles are guaranteed to contain a minimum of 75% post-consumer aluminum."

SAPA's newest systems, such as SAPA Soleal Next, are currently undergoing assessment for the Cradle to Cradle seal. "We can also ensure that the carbon footprint of transporting our products is as small as possible."

100% infinitely recyclable

Unlike other building materials, aluminum can be fully recycled without loss of quality or material properties. "According to estimates, there are 200,000,000 tons of aluminum objects available worldwide that can be reused 100% at the end of their life cycle," Decaluwaert said. "We are leveraging these objects to partially replace the extraction of bauxite (the mineral from which aluminum is created) with the recycling of post-consumer material. This not only reduces the exploitation of natural resources, but also prevents the loss of a precious material such as aluminum. This process is also known as urban mining and aims to transform cities into the main supply points of raw materials so that our earth's natural biotopes can remain intact."

Up to 95% energy savings

The production of primary aluminum (derived from the extraction of bauxite) requires a large amount of energy in current industrial processes, Decaluwaert knows. "This translates into abundant emissions of CO2 (when using fossil fuels for energy production); the main greenhouse gas and the direct cause of climate change. Smelting post-consumer aluminum can save up to 95% of this energy, while obtaining a raw material of exactly the same quality."

Impact of SAPA windows

The average carbon footprint of aluminum consumed in Europe is 8.6 kg CO2 per kg aluminum. "With Hydro CIRCAL 75R we have a maximum carbon footprint of 2.33 kg CO2 per kg aluminum, which means a saving of 6.27 kg CO2. A typical window includes about 20 kg of aluminum, yielding an average savings of 125.4 kg CO2 per window. So in a residential building with 50 apartments and 250 windows, this savings runs to a whopping 11,650 kg of CO2!"

"Sustainability is not part of our strategy, it ís our strategy," Decaluwaert concludes. "We take our responsibility in the entire value chain of aluminum production. Our goal is to contribute to the creation of a just society and a circular economy through responsible production, circular products and complete decarbonization of our processes by 2050 or earlier. To achieve this, we want to grow even further in renewable energy production, low carbon aluminum and post-consumer aluminum recycling."