DECO Australia (DECO), leading manufacturers of timber-look aluminium building products, have avoided the release of over one million kilograms of CO2e emissions since making the switch to lower carbon aluminium in June this year.

The company made the industry-leading decision earlier this year to switch all their aluminium products extruded by Capral Aluminium to the new LocAl Green lower carbon aluminium. The result is a significant reduction in carbon emissions associated with DECO’s aluminium supply that has immediately improved their environmental performance.

Announced at the Sustainability Building Summit and Awards, DECO’s general manager, Richard Hamber said it is fantastic to see the impact one small change has made in such a short amount of time.

“DECO is committed to reducing our environmental impact, and the early adoption of lower carbon aluminium is just one step in our Sustainability Framework to reduce our emissions.”

The current global average carbon emission for primary aluminium is approximately 13.9kg CO2e/kg aluminium. DECO’s switch to LocAl Green aluminium means they have significantly reduced the CO2e associated with their extruded aluminium supply from Capral, bringing it down well below the global average to 8kg of CO2e/kg aluminium[1].

“It is fantastic to see the Australian aluminium industry joining the mission to reduce emissions by supporting global change in aluminium production through the use of renewable energies. It is now up to companies like DECO to put our money where our mouth is and support the industry by procuring the cleaner materials when available,” said Hamber.

The adoption of lower carbon aluminium will also pass on benefits to DECO’s customers. “We are aware of increasing pressure on architects, builders and the wider construction industry to reduce the embodied carbon of their projects. LocAl Green will ensure DECO’s range of aluminium cladding, decking and other building products will assist in reducing emissions and help our customers achieve embodied carbon targets,” he added.

DECO estimates they have reduced the CO2e associated with their aluminium supply this year by more than 1,600,000kg. This roughly equates to driving 5,280 kilometres in a petrol-fuelled car[2] or the amount of carbon absorbed by over 27,000 tree seedlings grown for 10 years[3].

Aluminium is considered one of the most sustainable materials in the world today. It is infinitely recyclable, and according to the International Aluminium Institute, over 75% of all the aluminium ever produced is still in productive use today.

The switch to lower carbon aluminium is part of DECO’s commitment to sustainability and providing a cleaner, greener building industry.

References:

[1] Kilograms CO2e emitted per kilogram aluminium produced during aluminium smelting and casting

[2] https://www.myclimate.org/en/information/faq/faq-detail/how-much-is-a-tonne-of-co2/

[3] https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator#results