Novelis launched a research and development laboratory to advance carbon neutral solutions for aluminum manufacturing. The new lab, called Net Zero Lab Valais, is located at the company’s manufacturing site in Sierre, Switzerland, and will be a collaboration with local energy distributor OIKEN and HES-SO Valais-Wallis and EPFL from the Swiss innovation and research hub Energypolis Campus. The research done at Net Zero Lab Valais will focus on identifying and implementing solutions for carbon neutral aluminum production processes with the goal to achieve carbon neutrality at the facility for Scope 1 and 2 by 2030.
“We will develop innovative solutions that we can later implement on a broader scale at our different production sites across the globe, while we simultaneously continue to work on increasing the recycled content in our products to deliver the lowest total carbon footprint for aluminium sheet,” said Emilio Braghi, executive vice president, Novelis Inc. and president, Novelis Europe. “We are very proud to have such strong and experienced partners as HES-SO Valais-Wallis, EPFL and OIKEN at our side to drive carbon neutral production for rolled aluminum.”
Net Zero Lab Valais will launch an ecosystem for the region, as the company will share the energy from the plant with the surrounding community. This will not only help reduce the carbon footprint of the site itself, but also lower the surrounding region’s carbon footprint. The new lab is another step toward achieving Novelis’ sustainability goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050, while also increasing energy efficiency, reducing waste, and supporting the communities where it operates.
“This partnership underscores our commitment to carbon neutrality and we expect the research to allow for greater innovation in advancing our purpose of shaping a sustainable world together,” said Pierre Labat, Senior Vice President, chief strategy and sustainability sfficer, Novelis Inc.
The Novelis Sierre facility is located in the Valais region of Switzerland and employs more than 500 people. According to the company, it is the most advanced integrated plant focusing on the production of aluminum sheet for the automotive market, covering the entire process from casting to finishing. The site features a Research & Innovation Center specialized in the development of sustainable, low-carbon, and innovative automotive sheet alloys, surface treatment and joining technologies.