Recycling Aluminium: The circularity of cans and cars

Hindalco, the metals flagship of Aditya Birla Group, and its wholly-owned subsidiary Novelis, are leading the way in aluminium innovation – through sustainable sourcing and recycling of aluminium; thus, reducing energy consumption, waste generation and greenhouse gas emissions

Hindalco has been ranked as the World’s Most Sustainable Aluminium Company for the 5th Consecutive Year in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, with an overall score of 87 points – which is 22 points higher than its closest peer. It is the only company to achieve a top ranking for five consecutive years in the Aluminium Industry Segment.

Sustainability at Hindalco begins right from the source i.e. its mining practices and extends across the organisation’s value chain. Its strategy for a mix of captive sources for sustainable mining of ore and use of renewable energy, along with long-term sourcing relationships based on productivity, cost and sustainability parameters.

The company also seeks continuous improvement in environmental performance with efforts spanning the use of assessment tools, baseline studies, action plans for biodiversity protection, management of mining waste, sustainable ore extraction and processing, water resources management, mined area rehabilitation and closure, etc.
 

Leveraging aluminium’s infinite recyclability

Aluminium is one of those rare materials that can be recycled repeatedly without degradation in quality, ensuring that aluminium metal recycling is vital in the transition to a circular economy. Hindalco’s downstream units in India, as well as Novelis’ manufacturing facilities in several countries, have dedicated aluminium recycling and remelting facilities.

Novelis currently leads the world in aluminium recycling with 61% of its production coming from recycled aluminium. Over the past decade, it has invested approximately $2 billion to grow its total recycling capacity to 2.5 MT.

Strength meets versatility

Recycled aluminium is lightweight, retains its strength at high temperatures, and can be mixed with other materials, including copper, magnesium, and silicon, to increase its fluidity, tensile strength, and corrosion resistance. Unlike other materials that degrade during the recycling process, aluminium retains all its original properties no matter how often it is recycled.

Recycling aluminium waste

Apart from sustainably sourced and recycled aluminium, Hindalco is also working towards increasing the percentage input of recycled material in its production. This is done via reverse supply contracts with select customers who send back their aluminium scrap for recycling, in addition to scrap collected from the market, and the plant’s own process scrap.

In FY24, Hindalco demonstrated a strong commitment to waste reduction by recycling 85% of its operational waste. Additionally, three of its units earned zero-waste-to-landfill certification. This achievement aligns with the company’s ambitious goal of reaching zero-waste-to-landfill status by 2030.

Closing the manufacturing loop

By recycling aluminium, Hindalco enables a circular economy for several industries. For example, Novelis’ closed-loop aluminium recycling process takes used beverage cans, recycles them and turns them into new beverage cans within 60 days. Novelis processes 84 billion used beverage cans annually and is the world’s largest recycler of aluminium.

In the automobile manufacturing industry as well, the aluminium scrap that is generated is recycled by Novelis into the same grade of metal and inserted back into the supply chain. The recycling process preserves the metal’s intrinsic value, reduces the use of energy by 90%, minimises environmental impact and establishes a secure supply chain.

By making a marked difference in aluminium innovation and sustainability, Hindalco continues to maintain its leadership in environmental responsibility and corporate governance.