2 COMMENT
CIRCAL and REDUXA: New greener brands
Pack it in I set myself a challenge this month. That challenge was to only buy products that came in either aluminium, paper or glass packaging. I had to let glass play a part, because as a previous Editor of our sister publication ‘Glass International’ I still hold a flame for the material and am very in favour of its sustainable and clean properties. Unfortunately, within a few days I had to adjust the rules of the challenge slightly... While I swerved the unnecessarily wrapped broccoli in favour of its plastic-free friend, there were other elements of my shop that I instead tried to make more ‘sustainable’ choices with. I know that at least by making small changes we are all contributing to a more environmentally-friendly world, but it is still too hard as a consumer to make the right choices. Thankfully, the aluminium industry again seems like it is leading the way and I was very pleased to see the launch of a new aluminium bottled water brand hit the headlines recently. Hopefully it is just about changing people’s attitudes and knowing that because a product is not smothered in plastic, it is not more expensive and no different in quality. If anything, it should be promoted as being superior! This issue has a dedicated packaging feature, which highlights aluminium’s part to play here, as well as a number of regional overviews, a focus on safety and more. Enjoy! nadinebloxsome@quartzltd.com
Hydro is now making it easier for its customers to promote aluminium products that are made from recycled post-consumer scrap or primary metal from hydro-powered smelters. The two new greener brands CIRCAL and REDUXA are certified materials with details of CO2 footprint and fully traceability of the materials. “We are working hard across
our entire business to reduce our emissions and those of our customers. Through using renewable power and modern technology, Hydro can produce cleaner aluminium than ever before. We believe that as an industrial company we have the responsibility to help our customers on the path to a low-carbon future,” says Hydro’s President and CEO, Hilde Merete
Aasheim. Hydro REDUXA is a series of certified, low carbon aluminium with a maximum carbon footprint of 4.0kg CO2 per kg aluminium. Hydro CIRCAL is a range of quality aluminium made with a minimum of 75% recycled, post-consumer scrap. The higher the recycled content of post-consumer scrap, the lower the carbon footprint.
ELYSIS R&D Centre underway ELYSIS marked the start of construction on its Research and Development Center in Saguenay on Friday 16th August. Technical experts will continue to advance the breakthrough technology that eliminates all direct greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from the aluminium smelting process. Representatives from the governments of Québec and Canada and senior leaders from ELYSIS, Alcoa and Rio Tinto attended the event at the planned facility, located within Rio Tinto’s Complexe Jonquière, the site of the Arvida smelter, Vaudreuil refinery and Arvida Research and Development Centre. The $50 million (CAD) construction project is expected to be fully operational in the second half of 2020, employing 25 technical experts.
Created thanks to a ground-breaking partnership between two global industry leaders, Alcoa and Rio Tinto, the ELYSIS joint venture is at the heart of a new revolutionary process to make aluminium. This disruptive process, supported in its devel-
opment by Apple, will eliminate all direct GHG emissions from the traditional aluminium process, and instead emit pure oxygen. The ELYSIS™ technology has the potential to considerably reduce the environmental footprint of the global aluminium industry.
Eco-Friendly aluminium bottled water brand launched Every bottle counts; at least that’s the idea behind Ever & Ever, a new line of purified water packaged in resealable 16 oz. aluminium bottles. Launched by Vita Coco parent company All Market, the product is now available in still and sparkling varieties at select retailers in New York City – via distribution by Big Geyser – on Amazon and at drinkeverandever.com for a suggested
retail price of $1.99 per bottle or $23.99 for a 12-pack. The launch of Ever & Ever comes as public concern over plastic waste, particularly from single-use products such as straws and bottles, has grown in recent years. According to
market research group Euromonitor, 500 billion plastic bottles are used around the globe each year. In response, brands in the category have adopted various changes – from committing to using recycled plastic to selling water in paper cartons – and, in recent months, the movement behind aluminium packaging in particular seems to have accelerated.
September/October 2019
Nadine sept oct.indd 1
30/08/2019 11:13:14