Word: Sustainability
meaning: meeting environmental objectives that are specific, measurable, and reducible.

Does your current project require an environmental or ethical approach? Aluminium is the third most abundant element in the earth’s crust and contributes 7.3% by mass. Aluminium is most commonly found in ‘bauxite’, the ore from which primary aluminium metal is produced. Bauxite is normally found in a layer between three to five metres deep, being so close to the Earth’s surface allows the ore to be extracted in a process know as open-cast strip mining.

Rich supplies of bauxite are available in Australia, West Africa and the West Indies along with other tropical and sub-tropical regions around the world.

Today more than 97% of the world’s bauxite mines have formal written mine rehabilitation procedures in place.

Before any extraction of bauxite takes place from the strip mine much of the topsoil and some of the original flora are gathered for safe keeping in nurseries, in some cases endangered animals and reptiles are also gathered.

Once the bauxite is removed, the site is quickly restored using the original materials thereby minimising environmental impact.

Around two thirds of employees are from the local community with many mines also report paying salaries higher than the national average.

Current bauxite mines have an average life expectancy of around thirty years so the mines are committed to sustainable development of the areas and communities in which they operate including investment in local facilities for their local workers.

Aluminium has been produced commercially since the 1880’s and the International Aluminium Institute estimates that at least 75% of this material is still in use today.

Aluminium is almost 100% recyclable using only 5% of the original energy required to produce it from bauxite making aluminium an exceedingly sustainable material.

With reductions of almost 70% in the energy required to process aluminium from bauxite and further reductions targeted. Over half the energy required to process aluminium is now provided by renewable energy sources (primarily hydro-electric).

The construction industry across Europe already recognises the value of aluminium, with an average 95% of aluminium in buildings is collected for recycling (Delft Report).

With a proven service life of over sixty years, a valuable scrap market contributing to a large scale recycling of the material, a very efficient recycling process able to reclaim around 95% of the original material and the industry as a whole striving to improve its environmental profile to make aluminium a truly ‘green’ product.

http://www.c-a-b.org.uk/eventfiles/_aluminium__sustaina_1223584119.pdf

http://www.world-aluminium.org/Home


Our Suppliers View

Our business is aluminium. It is a corrosion resistant material with a unique combination of characteristics and many technical benefits. We believe that aluminium curtain walling, doors, windows and facades provide the most suitable visual and technical solutions for today's buildings. With its low weight, high strength and endless design possibilities, our commitment is to develop systems that enhance the built environment through simple fabrication.

We realise that in this context the word environment does not just mean the "green" credentials of the product, but also its contribution to the quality of built environment. The depth of thought and commitment to these aspects can be found throughout our design and manufacturing activities, from economy of materials, to waste processing, through to recycling.

We are committed to helping the building industry meet the targets set out in the Kyoto Protocol concerning the reduction of CO 2 emissions from all buildings. We continue to develop advanced product designs using the latest 'thermal break' technology, to ensure compliance with relevant Building Regulations both now and in the future.

• In excess of 40% of our UK extrusion output is manufactured from recycled billet, produced through our own re-melt facility. This recycling process uses approximately 5% of the energy used when producing primary aluminium.

• An average of 70% of aluminium used today's buildings is already recycled.

• 70%-98% of aluminium used in today's buildings will eventually be recycled.

• The fundamental properties of aluminium do not change after recycling - a unique property compared to other materials.