Recycled aluminium windows and doors can help lower the overall carbon emissions of your project, as well as provide excellent long-term value for money and energy efficiency. In this article, we’ll discuss the main ways that recycled aluminium can contribute to lower carbon emissions, supporting both stakeholders and the environment.
1. Energy Reduction
Recycling aluminium windows and doors further contributes to reducing energy consumption, as well as minimising greenhouse gas emissions. Thanks to the longevity of aluminium construction products, the material also helps reduce the energy associated with maintenance, upkeep, and end-of-life disposal/recycling. Studies from the USA have shown that using recycled aluminium saves up to 95% of the energy required to make new aluminium.
2. Recyclability
Aluminium is relatively easy and straightforward to recycle. In fact, there is no limit to how much you can recycle it. The metal can be recycled indefinitely and reused in other projects, without losing quality. By remelting used aluminium for reuse, the carbon footprint is reduced to 1.9 kg of CO2 emissions per kilogram of aluminium. Currently, the UK recycles around 45% of municipal waste, which falls short of the government’s target to recycle 65% of waste products by 2035. Recycling aluminium can help increase this number, ensuring the UK reaches its expected goal. Companies such as Hydro provide CIRCAL products created from a minimum of 75% post-consumer recycled aluminium. Some of the products used in this process are commercial aluminium doors and curtain walling, which go through an extensive purification process before being reused.
3. Aluminium Production
The weak point of using aluminium in construction is, unfortunately, the environmental impact associated with primary extraction and production. To produce new aluminium, large natural habitats often need to be destroyed, leading to a global energy consumption of 180 GJ per tonne. However, for recycled aluminium, you only need 8.3 GJ per tonne, drastically reducing the carbon implications of using aluminium windows and doors. Recycling aluminium windows and doors at their end of life helps further conserve natural resources and reduce the need to extract new raw materials.
4. Circular Economy
Using recycled aluminium encourages a circular economy in construction, meaning that products can be used for as long as possible instead of being arbitrarily replaced. This minimises waste and maximises value across the supply chain. Specifying recycled aluminium windows contributes to and supports a circular economy, thereby promoting a healthier environment for future generations, without any compromise on the quality or performance of your products.
What Next?
At Advanced Glass, we provide a flexible consultancy service for façade solutions. If you’re interested in finding out more about how sustainable aluminium windows are and how they can help reduce the carbon output of your project, please contact our team at 01455 241 844.
Image Source: Canva
