Our Sustainability Roadmap – The New Norm

Aluminium sustainability is integral to the operations of Capral across Australia and abroad. Demonstrated through our Sustainability Roadmap for our Operational Sites Nationally, since Earth Day on 22 April, Capral has shown an ambition to be at the forefront of sustainability best practices.

Accepting that high sustainability standards are no longer optional, Capral is making sustainability the new norm for aluminium in Australia following 12 months of considerable work by our sustainability committee, advancing key sustainability strategies and implementation.

National Safety and Sustainability Coordinator Alida Langlois said, “the program is focused on engaging the hearts and minds of our people,” encouraging “more sustainable choices within our business and operations every day.”

Learn more about Capral’s National Sustainability Roadmap and how we investigate, adopt and implement change throughout our company to reduce our environmental impact on the world.

Aluminium Sustainability Roadmap

As a significant aluminium supplier, the sustainability of aluminium impacts our buying strategies, in-house policies, and corporate activities. We will use the sustainability roadmap to utilise natural lighting, eliminate single-use plastics, halt printing emails, and consider the product’s life cycle by identifying four initial sustainability pathways: energy, waste, paper, and purchasing.

Managed entirely through Capral’s Integrated Management System (IMS, the Sustainability Roadmap will feature quarterly audits to report on improved behaviour around sustainability.

Waste

We work with industry partners to find ways to recycle aluminium from our post production scrap. Alongside the launch of our sustainability roadmap, we signed an agreement with Tomago Aluminium, Australia’s largest aluminium smelter, to supply approximately 550 tonnes of production scrap annually for remelting.

According to Luke Hawkins, General Manager of Supply and Industrial Solutions at Capral Aluminium, it’s the first commercial scrap arrangement for post-production scrap aluminium to be remelted in Australia.

Paper

Although we deal primarily with aluminium, we’ve extended our sustainability roadmap to reduce paper waste. Beyond ending the practice of printing off emails, or any unnecessary documentation that employees can quickly deliver electronically, Capral will continue to find methods to reduce paper waste. Like hosting our catalogues and brochures for all of our Window and Door brands online for our customers.

Purchasing

To ensure our commitment to maximise the contribution of aluminium to a sustainable society, Capral joined the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI), committing to achieving certification for its operations under the ASI Performance Standard and ASI Chain of Custody Standard by mid-2024. ASI members aim to collaboratively foster responsible production, sourcing and stewardship of aluminium and purchasing low-carbon aluminium.

Assessing Sustainability

Each quarter, Capral will focus on one of the four roadmap pathways for three months to identify areas of improvement, utilise best practices, and implement changes that reduce environmental impact.

In return, quarterly awards will be presented to the sites that show the most improvement through their sustainable initiatives. The goal is to encourage our employees to challenge the status quo, innovate and explore new alternatives to current behaviours which impact negatively on the environment.

Our commitment to maintaining an Environment Management System incorporates Company requirements for planning, implementation and review based on a risk management approach.

Where To Next?

Over time Capral will expand beyond these four focus areas to encompass critical aspects aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, of which there are a total of seventeen. In a world impacted by global sustainability issues, from climate change to biodiversity, businesses must act responsibly to protect the environment and community–working for stakeholders and customers.

Achieving high sustainability standards is no longer optional; it is the new norm, and the newly launched Capral Sustainability Roadmap is the first step in bringing its people on the journey.

Michael O’keefe, General Manager of Marketing & Technology, adds, “We believe that our sustainability approach and ongoing dedication to launching new Capral sustainable solutions to address customer and stakeholder needs will make a positive contribution to our business growth and the environment.

The Capral Sustainability Road Map is one of several initiatives currently underway by the Capral team to improve the business’s sustainability outcomes. It will be critical in helping us meet our objective of reaching net zero emissions by 2050. I’m excited about this program because it gives each and every one of our people the opportunity to make a difference in Capral’s sustainable future.”