Capral Aluminium has taken a definitive step towards their Net Zero goals by introducing a new lower carbon primary aluminium option across their locally manufactured extruded window and door systems.
Capral LocAl provides Australian architects, designers, builders and developers with access to cleaner, greener, more sustainable aluminium for their projects.
Capral offers LocAl in two lower carbon aluminium options: LocAl Green with carbon emissions of 8kg CO2e/kg Al*; and LocAl Super Green at 4kg CO2e/kg Al* - amongst the lowest carbon aluminium available globally.
In 2022, Capral committed to reaching Net Zero emissions by 2050, a significant step change, driving rapid innovation and cultural evolution throughout the business, most notably within procurement and operations. The introduction of LocAl demonstrates a deliberate shift in Capral's procurement strategy for primary aluminium billet.
For many years, Capral has been a leader in supplying commercial and residential window, door and framing systems for use in a wide range of building applications. Now Capral will supply their established product range with a 50% reduction in embodied carbon, giving architects the ability to specify a reputed, locally extruded and manufactured window system with up to half the embodied carbon of similar products on the market.
Starting November 2022, Capral will offer LocAl Green aluminium across all Capral proprietary window and door systems as standard with no pricing premium. That is, when you specify from the Capral AGS, Artisan, Futureline Urban, UrbanPlus or locally distributed Schüco ranges, the primary aluminium for those systems will carry the LocAl green badge, with a carbon intensity of 8kg CO2e/Kg Al* - 50% lower than the current global average for primary aluminium.
“We feel it is vital to respond to the needs of the Architecture and Design community in their commitment to reducing embodied carbon within the built environment. By making LocAl Green standard across all our proprietary window systems, architects can specify systems they are familiar with, with no extra effort and no pricing premium. The outcome is a lower embodied carbon solution for their projects,” Capral's national specification manager Brendon Orth said.
Architects, developers, and builders seeking best-in-class low carbon aluminium products may choose to specify LocAl Super Green, which will be supplied at a modest premium upon request.
Aluminium is often touted as a ‘sustainable metal’, thanks to its versatility and recyclability. However, there are significant variations in the carbon emissions generated by smelters during the production of primary aluminium, making some aluminium considerably more sustainable than others.
The main contribution to the carbon emissions of aluminium comes from the electrolysis process used in aluminium smelting. Around 60% of the aluminium sector's GHG emissions come from the production of electricity consumed during the aluminium smelting process.
What may surprise some is that the four aluminium smelters producing primary aluminium within Australia together consume approximately 10% of the national energy grid.
The carbon emissions in primary aluminium production range from under 4kg CO2e/kg Al to over 20kg CO2e/kg Al, depending largely upon the energy sources used. The current global average carbon emission for primary aluminium is approximately 16.8kg CO2e/kg Al.*
Michael O'Keefe, general manager of marketing & technology, commented, “At eight kilograms of carbon emissions per kilogram of aluminium, the LocAl Green offer has 50% lower carbon emissions than the current global average for primary aluminium. At four kilograms, LocAl Super Green is 75% lower; this is a significant reduction. It gives Australian manufacturers an important opportunity to make more responsible procurement decisions when they source extruded aluminium.”
In addition to lower carbon emissions, the primary aluminium offered under the LocAl brand is sourced exclusively from Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) certified smelters.
ASI is a global non-profit organisation that brings together producers, users, and stakeholders in the aluminium value chain. ASI members are committed to the responsible procurement and sustainable production of aluminium. This globally recognised organisation has become the cornerstone of sustainable aluminium procurement for the world’s leading aluminium organisations delivering robust standards and transparency. Capral joined ASI in July 2022.
“Being able to offer LocAl aluminium sourced from ASI-certified smelters gives us the added assurance that the aluminium we buy has been produced responsibly with consideration given to sustainability and societal impact. It helps us stand behind the product we sell and tell our customers we've done the best we can to deliver you a product that has been produced responsibly at all stages in the value chain,” Brendon explained.
Both LocAl Green and LocAl Super Green products can be supplied with certification upon request to meet any compliance requirements.
"It's ready; from today onwards, LocAl Green is standard on our window systems and for those who want to go further and specify LocAl Super Green, all you need to do is ask," Brendon added.
Capral is ambitious about offering LocAl to the Australian construction market and hopeful that the demand for lower carbon aluminium will continue to grow.
“We hope that in 2023 more and more of the aluminium we source will be LocAl to meet our customers’ demands," he concluded.
Watch this video on LocAl lower aluminium carbon.
*These figures are based on Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions ex smelter.
