Carbon dioxide offset success

More than 100 large building projects have used the greener Hydro Circal brand of aluminium since it became a key part of Hydro’s product portfolio a year ago.

Technal and the other Hydro Building Systems brands that produce facades, windows and doors have secured these projects in 10 countries across two continents. The adoption of Hydro Circal, instead of the standard aluminium used in Europe, represents a reduction of 25,000 tonnes of CO2.

“This milestone highlights the potential for low-carbon aluminium products in the building industry,” Henri Gomez, head of building systems in Hydro, said. “With strong focus on execution, our team has secured and delivered solutions for a variety of building projects. We also have several interesting projects in the pipeline.”

As buildings represent about 40% of greenhouse gas emissions globally, and with a greater focus on sustainability from the industry, investors and government, enhanced sustainability credentials have become more and more sought-after, the company said.

Hydro Circal is a range of aluminium products made with recycled, post-consumer aluminium scrap. Using recycled content, energy consumption is drastically reduced while still producing high-quality products. Currently, Hydro offers Hydro Circal 75R, with at least 75% aluminium from post-consumer scrap, but is working to launch new products with even higher content of recycled aluminium in the future.

Technal windows, doors and facades are now all produced with high quality recycled or low carbon aluminium to meet the growing demand for more sustainable products on building projects.

One of these projects in the UK is Loughborough University Science and Enterprise Park. The building’s construction brief outlined a BREEAM Very Good rating. To achieve this, all parties involved in the project had a shared sustainability ethos, and Hydro Circal 75R aligned with the architect’s core values.

“From thriving business hubs to a total revamp for iconic buildings, the span of projects we have delivered is great,” Henri said. “We have been able to demonstrate that it is possible to use post-consumer recycled aluminium and drastically reduce energy consumption, while still producing high-quality products.”