• Capral's new approach supports a circular economy in Australia's aluminium sector.
• Offering more sustainable aluminium options to local manufacturers.

Capral, Australia's largest extruder & distributor of industry-leading aluminium products, has tested recycled aluminium in its production process.

The aluminium company has collaborated with Rio Tinto to use 50 to 100 tonnes of aluminium scrap from its Bremer Park extrusion plant in Southeast Queensland. The scrap is then melted down, transformed into billets, a form of raw aluminium, and developed into a new product with at least 20% recycled content.

This process will reduce waste and lower the environmental impact of aluminium production. It promotes sustainable and local aluminium production, with all stages—from raw materials to recycling—taking place in Australia, as well as supporting the Australian government's policy of encouraging more local manufacturing.

The company aims to recycle all its scrap locally in the coming years, marking an important step towards a more circular economy in Australia's aluminium industry. By blending recycled aluminium with virgin material, Caprel can produce high-quality products for sectors like construction and transportation, further reducing its environmental footprint.

Luke Hawkins, Capral Divisional General Manager of Industrial Solutions and Supply, says: "Whilst Capral recycles the vast majority of our scrap, it must be sent offshore for processing and typically ends up in different types of products than what we would normally produce. We are excited to be working with Rio Tinto, our main domestic supplier, on this project; hopefully, in the not-too-distant future, we can recycle all of our scrap locally and use it to support circularity within the Australian aluminium industry.

“We are driven by the industry to incorporate recycled content into our supply chain. We’ve worked hard to introduce LocAl and LocAl Super Green, our lower carbon aluminium offer, and the addition of this aluminium material with 20% recycled content is another important step in our evolving procurement strategy towards delivering more sustainable aluminium to Australian manufacturers."

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Source: Capral