Aluminium solutions for greener products

Aluminium solutions for greener products

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Working to create a greener economy

In Hydro, we produce our own bauxite, our own alumina and our own renewable energy.

We develop and operate electrolysis technology with the lowest energy consumption and the lowest emissions. We add science, innovation, R&D and advanced product development to our products, we return post-consumer scrap to the loop to be used over and over again, and offer advanced recycling technologies and expertise.

and be responsible – for the land, water and forests, for our employees and the communities we engage with, for the energy use and emissions in our processes, and for bringing products at end of life back into the loop.

We are able to track our products, influence the total carbon footprint, minimize negative impacts and maximize positive contributions – enabling greener solutions for the circular economy.

By mastering every step of the value chain ‘in-house’ as the world’s only 360O aluminium company, we are in a unique position to control

Rolling Recycling

Bauxite

Alumina

Energy

Primary

Casting

Products

Extrusion

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Hydro’s vision

Sustainability is the biggest challenge of modern production. We need to change our economy into one that produces for a low-carbon world.

Hydro will be carbon neutral in a life-cycle perspective by 2020. By lowering our own emissions, increasing recycling and helping our customers develop products that enable CO2 savings, we constantly work to reduce our and your carbon footprint.

We report so you can be assured

did you know?

About 70% of Hydro’s primary aluminium production is based on renewable power

We work to create a more viable society by developing natural resources into products and solutions in innovative and efficient ways. In order for you as our customer to understand our work and performance, we report on our impact on the climate, using the UN Global Compact and the Task force on Climate-related Financial Disclosure (TCFD) framework in Hydro’s Annual Reports as well as the GRI index at www.hydro.com/gri.

We also work closely with customers to develop products that save energy and reduce emissions. Examples include lighter transportation, better packaging to reduce cooling needs and food spoilage, and aluminium façades that lead to lower operating costs and enable buildings to generate as much energy as they use during operation.

Carbon neutrality for Hydro – or having a net zero carbon footprint – refers to achieving a balance between our emissions on one side and savings during the use phase of our products on the other side

did you know?

5%

Only 5% of the energy required to produce the primary metal initially is needed in the recycling process

Innovations Choosing Hydro, you choose a partner that works systematically to lower your and our own emissions.

Alumina refining and electrolysis of primary aluminium are energy intensive, and constitute the majority of Hydro’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and the energy source is a decisive factor. On the other hand, aluminium can save significant amounts of energy and GHG emissions in the use phase. We constantly work and invest in new technologies that lower these emissions and improve our market offerings.

Technology for circularity Although we strive to increase our use of recycled metal, the world still needs primary aluminium. This is why we are continuously working to develop new technology to move our industry forward. Hydro’s pilot plant in Karmøy, Norway, has the most climate- and energy-efficient aluminium production technology in the world. The technology pilot is ground-breaking.

Technology and innovation projects in Hydro • In 2018 we started production at the world-class pilot of low-carbon aluminium production • About 70 percent of Hydro’s production of primary aluminium is based on renewable power • New automotive sheet line in Germany offers lighter aluminium to the automotive industry • New recycling line for cans in Germany has increased annual recycling capacity of used beverage cans to 100,000 tonnes • New and unrivalled Hydro-developed sensor technology developed to identify and separate scrap • Hydro recycles all aluminium cans returned in Norway • We introduce new academies to train designers and architects in Eco design

We work to minimize the environmental impact of our operations along the entire aluminium value chain

Karmøy, Norway

Certifications Certified aluminium makes a difference

Independent reviews of Hydro’s performance

More and more consumers, companies and public procurers are making purchase decisions using sustainability criteria.

For this, objective labels, standards or certificates are a useful aid because they indicate under which environmental and social standards the products were produced. We work continuously to lower our own emissions, increase recycling and help our customers develop products that enable CO2 savings – among others. In order to do so, we have obtained the following certifications for parts of our production, and continuously work to roll this out across our business.

Hydro recognizes that corporations too have a responsibility to minimize the negative impacts and maximize the positive impacts of its company, industry – and for our planet. We believe that rankings on indexes measuring responsible business practices help us all push ourselves that much further.

Hydro has been listed on several well-known sustainability indexes for years and continues to join new ones to ensure transparency and collaborate across the market.

The Dow Jones Sustainability World Index is regarded as the world’s most prestigious sustainability index. Hydro has been included in the DJSI index series every year since its start in 1999.

Hydro has been selected as the aluminium industry leader

by Dow Jones for the last two years (2017 and 2018).

our targets 15% water use reduction in water stressed areas

2020

Reduce waste to landfill by 60%

2020

Increase recycling of post-consumer scrap to 250,000 tonnes per year

2020

Maintain an “Industry Frontrunner” position

Continuous

1:1 rehabilitation of mined areas available for rehabilitation

Continuous

Eliminate the historical rehabilitation gap of open mined areas by 2020

Achieved 2018

Pushing the boundaries for low-carbon aluminium

Using durable and recyclable materials with a low-carbon footprint will contribute toward reducing global emissions and create products for a more circular economy. This is why Hydro is constantly working to develop alloys with a lowcarbon footprint. Currently we offer two series of low-carbon materials through our CIRCAL® and REDUXA® product lines.

The biggest environmental gain is when we use the consumer scrap. This reduces landfills and CO2. The production scrap should be reduced instead of used for new products, as this actually means that the CO2 for the new products is higher.

This is why we work to increase the use of scrap that has been in use and now offer this through CIRCAL® 75R.

Using recycled products for low-carbon footprint

Remelting aluminium for new uses requires only 5% of the energy needed to produce primary metal. So the higher the recycled content, the better it is for the environment.

Many products today promote they are made out of recycled content. The material can either have been used in other products before or come from left over scrap from production.

Hydro CIRCAL® is a range of primequality aluminium made with a minimum of 75% recycled, post-consumer scrap.

The higher the recycled content of postconsumer scrap, the lower the carbon footprint.

Hydro REDUXA® is a series of certified, low-carbon aluminium with a maximum carbon footprint of 4.0 kg CO2 per kg aluminium.

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Warranting a low-carbon footprint Our low-carbon aluminium products are designed to help you reach your sustainability goals and meet the demands of ever more climate-conscious consumers. We can also help you ensure that the products made are designed with the environment in mind.

Hydro CIRCAL® is a range of products made with recycled, post-consumer scrap. Through the use of recycled content, we reduce energy use drastically while still being able to offer high-quality products. The percentage of scrap will change depending on specifications from the client, but we can always guarantee a CO2 footprint below 2.3 kg CO2 per 1 kg aluminium produced with Hydro CIRCAL® 75R.

Hydro REDUXA® is our series of low-carbon aluminium. Through the use of renewable energy sources like hydro power, we reduce the carbon footprint per kg aluminium to less than a fourth of the global average.

The result is the aluminium with one of the world’s lowest carbon footprints to date.

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Services and offerings Our offerings to help you IMPROVE your SUSTAINABILITY FOOTPRINT We offer a variety of services to help companies design and produce better products in a cost-effective and more sustainable way. We work in close collaboration with our partners to continuously develop new and better solutions based on our customers' needs. We can help with everything from material selection to design consultancy to identify the most optimal solution available to ensure we produce a product with the least environmental impact in mind.

• Recycling and sorting • Take-back services • LCA studies • Product ecology • Sustainability consulting • Design for recycling / Eco design • Aluminium Academies across Europe and North America • Metal tracing

ecodesign Recyclable materials Includes recycled content Improved footprint Ready for dismantling Ready for recycling Benefits the circular economy Better information

Products and solutions We also offer products and solutions with the aim of enabling a more circular economy through creating products that can be easily recycled or are produced for longevity.

• 100% recyclable windows – Wicline 75MAX by WICONA

Lightweight and infinitely recyclable, aluminium is increasingly the material of choice. It accommodates growth while limiting carbon emissions.

• Recycle-friendly alloys from primary metal

Currently, aluminium holds the fastest-growing demand among metals in the world. The main reasons are its low weight and high strength. Specifically, demand is driven by a transport sector that needs to improve fuel efficiency and reduce energy use through lighter cars, trains and trucks.

Additionally, aluminium is key to zero-energy buildings, solar applications and packaging that preserves food and demands less energy to transport.

• Safe surface treatments and safe powder coatings • Environmental Product Declarations • High recycled grade aluminium – 75R® • Low-carbon aluminium produced on hydro power

We can help you design for a low-carbon future The story of aluminium starts with mining, but also with the design and the recycling. This is where the infinite story begins. Making aluminium from post-consumer scrap requires only 5 percent of the energy used in the production of primary aluminium. Sometimes, recycled aluminium will not be an alternative. This is why we work with new technology to be able to offer low-carbon materials created by using renewable power in our primary production.

This is our task: • To offer a material that is light and that can last for a long time with low maintenance.

• To offer our knowledge to ensure the material can be used in the best way.

• To offer technology and competence to ensure that after a long life, the products can be easily taken apart and shaped into new products.

Contact us at hydro.com to learn more

Norsk Hydro ASA NO-0240 Oslo Norway T +47 22 53 81 00 www.hydro.com

Photos/ill.: Werner Huthmacher (cover: Staab Architekten), Hydro, Getty/iStock, Per Heimly (p. 5), Jostein Viestad (p. 6-7), Work (p. 8.), Sara Mellone (Vase No. 10, p. 10). Š Hydro/02-2020

Hydro is a fully integrated aluminium company with 35,000 employees in 40 countries. Rooted in more than a century of experience in renewable energy, technology and innovation, Hydro is engaged in the entire aluminium value chain, from bauxite, alumina and energy to primary aluminium, rolled and extruded products and recycling.