Circular economy for vehicles: Novelis participates in a pilot project of Audi
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Bar ohne Namen
Entschlossen verweigert sich Savage, der Bar einen Namen zu geben. Stattdessen sind drei klassische Design-Symbole das Logo der Trinkstätte in Dalston: ein gelbes Quadrat, ein rotes Viereck, ein blauer Kreis. Am meisten wurmt den sympathischen Franzosen dabei, dass es kein Gelbes-Dreieck-Emoji gibt. Das erschwert auf komische Weise die Kommunikation. Der Instagram Account lautet: a_bar_with_shapes-for_a_name und anderenorts tauchen die Begriffe ‘Savage Bar’ oder eben ‚Bauhaus Bar‘ auf.
Für den BCB bringt Savage nun sein Barkonzept mit und mixt für uns mit Unterstützung von Russian Standard Vodka an der perfekten Bar dazu.
Novelis is participating in an Audi pilot project – the end-of-life vehicles project "MaterialLoop" tests circular economy potentials and collects important findings in order to close material cycles for recyclable materials such as steel, aluminium, plastic or glass. Together with 15 partners from research, the recycling sector and the supplier industry, the reuse of post-consumer materials from customer vehicles, which are at the end of their life cycle, for the production of new vehicles will be investigated and optimised. The project is part of the company's circular economy strategy and should provide valuable insights for the implementation of a circular economy in practice.
As one of the leading producers of flat-rolled aluminium products and one of the world's largest recycler of aluminium, Novelis contributes its expertise in the recycling of aluminium as well as its alloys, which are widely used in the automotive industry. By reusing secondary materials, the pilot project aims to create a circular system that could not only reduce waste but also eliminate downcycling, and at the same time improve the carbon footprint of automotive production.
End-of-life recycling of aluminium and its advantages for the automotive industry
For Novelis, driving a more circular economy includes closing the production loop (pre-consumer) and the end-of-life loop (post-consumer). The company has already developed closed-loop recycling systems with some of the world’s most well-known car makers, capturing and recycling the aluminium production scrap from the automotive stamping process. The next frontier in automotive circularity is to explore, test and learn end-of life opportunities with customers. Traditionally, at the end of their useful life, vehicles have been scrapped and the metal has been sent to landfill or downcycled to lesser grade applications, leading to the loss of valuable materials and creating environmental challenges. Changing this by looking into the feasibility and optimization of reusing post-consumer materials for new cars has gained importance on the sustainability agenda of auto manufacturers.
End-of-life recycling of aluminium offers great advantages for the automotive industry, as closing the loop preserves the value of the alloy, minimizes environmental impact and creates a secure supply chain. Recycling aluminium requires 95 percent less energy to produce than primary aluminium, with commensurate savings in CO2 emissions. Already today, Novelis’ delivers automotive alloys which contain up to 80 percent recycled content.
Circular economy as a key for decarbonization
With sustainability as core to their business, Novelis believes in a circular product system as key for decarbonization and works with partners toward the goal of keeping all aluminium in the loop, recycling it into the same products again and again. This includes continuously advancing the recycling processes and alloys to push the limits on how much recycled content can be used in their products. Building a circular economy for aluminium is a focus for Novelis and returning end-of-life scrap to its source is key to become more efficient and, thus, collaborations and new ways of partnering will need to be established – that is why projects as the MaterialLoop project with Audi is so important.
The MaterialLoop project
One hundred vehicles, including former test vehicles, were dismantled for MaterialLoop in October 2022. Through the targeted dismantling of individual components, it was already possible to secure high-quality secondary materials such as larger plastic components for further recycling. After dismantling, the remaining vehicle bodies were shredded and separated into different material groups such as steel, aluminium and plastic.
To test the reuse of materials in new vehicles, Audi defined and piloted the further recycling process together with the project partners from the recycling industry, the Audi supply chain and academia. Beyond the technical feasibility of returning materials to the supply chain, improving future generations of vehicles’ ability to be recycled was also a focus of the project. Through participation in the MaterialLoop project, Novelis gained valuable insights into current sorting processes and the improvements needed to increase the recovery rate of aluminium at the end-of-life stage. Sorting efficiency and technology play a key role in ensuring the economic viability of recycling. Taking the separability of the materials into account as early as the design stage of vehicles will be a game changer.
The pilot project is just the beginning of a journey toward a circular economy for vehicles. As we move toward a more sustainable future, initiatives like this are critical to reducing waste, conserving resources, and protecting the environment.
