Capral is excited to introduce Local®, a lower-carbon primary aluminium option available across Capral’s locally manufactured, extruded window and door systems. Providing Australian Architects, Designers, Builders and Developers with access to cleaner, greener, more sustainable aluminium for their projects.
The LocAl® offer includes two lower carbon aluminium options: LocAl® Green with carbon emissions of 8kg CO2e/kg Al* and LocAl® Super Green at 4kg CO2e/kg Al* – amongst the lowest carbon aluminium available globally.
In 2022 Capral committed to reaching Net Zero emissions by 2050, a significant step change, driving rapid innovation and cultural evolution throughout the business, most notably within procurement and operations. The introduction of LocAl® demonstrates a deliberate shift in Capral’s procurement strategy for primary aluminium billet.
For many years Capral has been a leader in supplying commercial and residential window, door and framing systems for use in a wide range of building applications. Now Capral will supply their established range with a 50% reduction in embodied carbon, giving architects the ability to specify a well know and regarded, locally extruded and manufactured window system with up to half the embodied carbon of similar products on the market.
From November 2022 Capral will offer LocAl® green aluminium across all Capral proprietary window and door systems as standard with no pricing premium. That is, when you specify from the Capral AGS™, Artisan™, Futureline™ Urban™, UrbanPlus™ or locally distributed Schüco® ranges, the primary aluminium for those systems will carry the LocAl® green badge, with a carbon intensity of 8kg CO2e/Kg Al* – 50% lower than the current global average for primary aluminium.
Brendon Orth Capral’s National Specification Manager comments:
“We feel it is vital to respond to the needs of the Architecture and Design community in their commitment to reducing embodied carbon within the built environment. By making LocAl green standard across all our proprietary window systems, architects can specify systems they are familiar with, with no extra effort and no pricing premium. The outcome is a lower embodied carbon solution for their projects.â€
Architects, developers, and builders seeking best-in-class low-carbon aluminium products may choose to specify LocAl® super green, which will be supplied at a modest premium upon request.
Aluminium is often touted as the “Sustainable metalâ€, its versatility and recyclability earning it this reputation. However, there are significant variations in the carbon emissions generated by smelters during the production of primary aluminium – one might argue that some aluminium is considerably more sustainable than others.
The main contribution to the carbon emissions of aluminium comes from the electrolysis process used in aluminium smelting. Around 60% of the aluminium sector’s GHG emissions are from the production of electricity consumed during the aluminium smelting process.
A salient fact that may surprise some is that combined, the four Aluminium Smelters producing primary aluminium within Australia consume approximately 10% of the national energy grid.
The carbon emissions in primary aluminium production range from under 4kg CO2e/kg Al to over 20kg CO2e/kg Al, largely dependent upon the energy sources used. The current global average carbon emission for primary aluminium is approximately 16.8 kg CO2e/kg Al.*
Michael O’Keefe, General Manager of Marketing & Technology, comments:
“At eight kilograms of carbon emissions per kilogram of aluminium, the LocAl Green offer has 50% lower carbon emissions than the current global average for primary aluminium. At 4 kilograms, LocAl Super Green is 75% lower; this is a significant reduction. It gives Australian manufacturers an important opportunity to make more responsible procurement decisions when they source extruded aluminium.â€
In addition to lower carbon emissions, the primary aluminium offered under the LocAl® brand is sourced exclusively from Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) certified smelters.
ASI is a global non-profit organisation that brings together producers, users, and stakeholders in the aluminium value chain. ASI members are committed to the responsible procurement and sustainable production of aluminium. This globally recognised organisation has become the cornerstone of sustainable aluminium procurement for the world’s leading aluminium organisations delivering robust standards and transparency. Capral joined ASI in July 2022.
“Being able to offer LocAl aluminium sourced from ASI-certified smelters gives us the added assurance that the aluminium we buy has been produced responsibly with consideration given to sustainability and societal impact. It helps us stand behind the product we sell and tell our customers we’ve done the best we can to deliver you a product that has been produced responsibly at all stages in the value chainâ€. Says Brendon.
Both LocAl® Green and LocAl® Super Green products can be supplied with certification upon request to meet any compliance requirements.
“It’s ready; from today onwards, LocAl Green is standard on our window systems and for those who want to go further and specify LocAl Super Green, all you need to do is ask,†adds Brendon.
Capral is ambitious about offering LocAl® to the Australian construction market and hopeful that the demand for lower-carbon aluminium will continue to grow.
“We hope that in 2023 more and more of the aluminium we source will be LocAl to meet our customer’s demands,†says Brendon
For more information about LocAl®, visit lowcarbonaluminium.com.au
*These figures are based on Scope 1 and Scope 2 emission ex smelter.
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