Constellium to develop lower carbon, lower cost aluminium extrusion alloys
Constellium SE (NYSE: CSTM) announced today that it is leading a new consortium of automakers and suppliers to develop lower carbon, lower cost aluminium extrusion alloys. Sponsored by a grant from the UK’s Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), the £10 million CirConAl (Circular and Constant Aluminium) project aims to maximize the use of post-consumer scrap in a new generation of high-strength alloys that emit less than two tons of CO2 per ton of aluminium produced. CirConAl is part of joint government and industry support for projects to build an end-to-end supply chain for zero-emissions vehicles in the UK.
By designing, developing, prototyping, and testing aluminium automotive components at scale, the project is expected to demonstrate that high-strength alloys with high recycled content can meet or exceed OEM requirements, such as strength, crushability, durability, and other performance criteria. Together, the partners would also develop scrap sorting technologies to ensure that valuable metal is recycled into new automotive solutions rather than downcycled, preserving its value and contributing to a circular economy.
“Low carbon solutions require collaboration across the supply chain and Constellium is proud to lead the CirConAl project in partnership with the APC, automakers, and suppliers as the industry works toward carbon neutrality,” said Philippe Hoffmann, President of Constellium’s Automotive Structures & Industry Business Unit. “Taking advantage of Constellium’s high-strength HSA6® aluminium extrusion alloys, as well as new scrap sorting and blending technologies, we expect this next generation of alloys to provide automakers with ultra-low embodied CO2 material to drastically reduce the carbon footprint of their products.”
Aluminium extrusions and components for the CirConAl project will be prototyped and tested at Constellium’s University Technology Center (UTC) located at Brunel University London. The UTC is a center of excellence for the development of aluminium Crash Management Systems and body structure components, as well as battery enclosures for electric vehicles. Its industrial scale casting and extrusion equipment allows for rapid prototyping, reducing development times by at least 50% for the advanced alloys required to lightweight automotive components.
Constellium is committed to do its part in the fight against climate change, and to collaborate across the value-chain to help drive the low-carbon transition and promote a circular economy. The company has committed to reach a 30% reduction in its carbon emissions intensity by 2030 (scope 1, 2 and 3) vs. 2021, and pledged that at least 50 percent of all aluminium Constellium uses will be from recycled sources by 2030. Constellium recently joined the First Movers Coalition, a global coalition to decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors, and is a founding member of the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative.
