World leader in aluminum rolling and recycling Novelis just issued its 2015 sustainability report, highlighting significant progress toward increasing the use of recycled aluminum and using natural resources more efficiently: At the end of Fiscal Year 2015, Novelis achieved an average of 49 percent recycled aluminum inputs, up 19 percentage points from baseline years of 2007-2009, and a reduction in water use intensity by 22 percent. Over the past five years, Novelis has doubled its recycling capacity, helping to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 13 percent from baseline. Recycling aluminum produces 95 percent fewer GHG emissions and requires 95 percent less energy than primary aluminum production, enabling Novelis to achieve lower GHG emissions despite increasing global production capacity.
„Novelis‘ commitment to sustainability is fundamental to our success as the global leader in aluminum rolling and recycling,“ explained Steve Fisher, President and Chief Executive Officer, Novelis. „Our continued focus on sustainability enables us to provide the lower carbon, high recycled content products our customers demand and provides a source of competitive advantage in the markets we serve.“
The report highlights other important achievements from Fiscal Year 2015, including:
The opening of the world’s largest and most technologically advanced aluminum recycling center in Nachterstedt, Germany, which can process up to 400,000 metric tons of aluminum scrap annually. This facility advances Novelis‘ progress toward increasing recycled inputs, will save 3.7 million metric tons of CO2 emissions a year and sets a new global standard for aluminum recycling.
Optimizing water efficiency, which is critical to Novelis‘ operations, particularly in drought-impacted areas of the world such as Brazil. In FY15, Novelis‘ plant in Pindamonhangaba, Brazil made significant water efficiency improvements, including automation of its industrial and drinking water systems, helping the company to reach an overall 22 percent reduction in water intensity.
Supplying lightweight automotive aluminum for the Ford F-150, America’s best-selling truck, thereby eliminating 700 pounds from the vehicle and making it highly fuel efficient. Supply for the truck also involves a highly innovative closed-looped recycling system, ensuring manufacturing scrap is recycled in a closed loop between Novelis and Ford.
Continued expansion of the company’s portfolio of certified high-recycled aluminum products, including beverage can sheet and the introduction of evercycle™ for food containers. The evercycle aluminum sheet, which is certified by SCS Global Services to contain 100 percent recycled aluminum, represents a breakthrough in the food containers category, which has been made historically from primary aluminum-based alloys or lower amounts of pre-consumer recycled content.
Since 2011, Novelis has invested approximately $2 billion to expand recycling and production capacity. The company looks forward to utilizing its new capabilities to the fullest extent, driving operational excellence and delivering the highest quality, sustainable products to its customers for years to come, helping them achieve their own sustainability objectives and adhere to evolving carbon constraints around the world.
Novelis continues to make significant progress in multiple areas of its operations, including reducing GHG emissions, energy and water intensity from its baseline.
Novelis aligned this report to conform to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G4 Sustainability Reporting. The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G4 guidelines are the world’s most widely used framework for sustainability reporting.
