Hydro first launched its Hydro CIRCAL brand with a minimum of 75% post-consumer scrap content in 2019. Since then, CIRCAL in the form of extrusion billet has been used in the production of profiles for a variety of industries, in particular architectural applications. Hydro is now expanding its CIRCAL line to include foundry alloys for critical automotive components, such as wheels, battery boxes, and structural and engine parts.
“Hydro CIRCAL has set the benchmark for recycled aluminum since its launch in 2019,” said Hanne Simensen, executive vice president of Hydro Aluminium Metal. “By expanding Hydro CIRCAL to the foundry alloy product portfolio, we are opening new doors for our automotive customers to decarbonize parts of their cars with high-quality recycled aluminum containing at least 75 percent post-consumer scrap. We are excited to create new tailor made solutions for our customers that support their ambitious decarbonization roadmaps.”
According to Hydro, several customers, particularly in the automotive sector, have expressed interest in CIRCAL in foundry alloy format. This is driven by more ambitious decarbonization targets, where increased material circularity is seen as a key enabler for reducing embedded emissions in critical components.
By introducing foundry alloys to the CIRCAL portfolio, Hydro strengthens its support for automotive customers aiming to reduce emissions and increase circularity. The new offering is designed for high performance applications and aligns with the industry’s most ambitious decarbonization and sustainability initiatives.
Hydro CIRCAL was verified by third-party auditor DNV to have a minimum of 75% post-consumer scrap content. This high recycled content is made possible through Hydro’s advanced sourcing, sorting, and traceability technologies. The higher the recycled content of post-consumer scrap, the lower the carbon footprint.
The CIRCAL extrusion ingots already carry an environmental product declaration (EPD), with a carbon footprint of just 1.9 kg CO₂e/kg Al. The foundry alloy product will receive its own EPD once sufficient production data is available.