Car giant Mercedes-Benz is set to be the first automotive company in Europe to integrate Hydro’s recycled aluminium Circal product into the manufacture of the next generation of large electric vehicles.
Circal is made with a minimum of 75% post-consumer scrap recovered from end-of-life products such as windows, facades, vehicles and consumer electronics. The post-consumer scrap content is tracked and documented for each production batch. The process is independently verified.
Accelerating transition
‘The automotive industry needs materials that can cut emissions without compromising quality, safety or performance,’ says Hydro ceo and president Eivind Kallevik. ‘By combining Circal recycled aluminium with Hydro Reduxa low-carbon primary aluminium, we can accelerate the transition to lower-carbon vehicles while building more resilient value chains.’
Norway’s Hydro and Mercedes-Benz say they are continuing to explore additional opportunities to reduce the carbon footprint of aluminium at industrial scale.
In 2022 they signed a letter of intent for a low-carbon technology roadmap between 2023 and 2030. In 2024, the collaboration was extended to cover the entire aluminium value chain from raw material to finished product.
‘The next generation of automotive supply chains will be defined by higher levels of circularity, a lower-carbon footprint and a deeper level of localization to enhance resilience and quality,’ adds Yanni von Roy-Jiang, head of procurement and supplier management at Mercedes-Benz.
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