Hydro CIRCAL is our range of premium recycled aluminum, based on minimum 75% scrapped products that have lived a previous and useful life. With advanced and patented sorting technology, Hydro remelts scrap into electric vehicles, designer furniture, consumer electronics and building facades.

The production and raw materials in Hydro CIRCAL can be traced on an individual batch level and is delivered with an Environmental Product Declaration and verification statement from DNV.  

The circular metal

aluminum is a circular material that can be infinitely recycled without any loss of quality. In fact, approximately 75% of all aluminum ever produced is still in use today. 

Whether it’s old windows, wheels, or beverage cans, recycling aluminum requires just 5% of the energy needed to produce primary aluminum.

Recycling scrap requires the removal of unwanted elements like paint, lacquer coating, oil, plastics, iron, minerals, and organic compounds. It is a technical and complicated process dependent on factors like scrap origin, original chemistry, previous use, and physical properties. 

Decades of research and development has made Hydro a pioneer within aluminum recycling. Our global network of recyclers operates patented recycling technology, and our ambition toward 2030 is to double our current recycling capacity for end-of-life scrap.

Changing the aluminum recycling game 

Hydro CIRCAL is our range of premium, recycled aluminum products, categorized by the percentage of scrap content. 

Hydro CIRCAL 100R is made from 100% recycled post-consumer scrap.

Hydro CIRCAL 100R pushes the boundaries for recycled aluminum with a carbon footprint below 0.5 kilo CO2e per kilo aluminum, which is 97% lower than the global average for primary aluminum. Producing Hydro CIRCAL 100R is both complicated and time-consuming, and is therefore currently only available in small, on-demand batches. 

Hydro CIRCAL 75R contains a minimum of 75% recycled post-consumer scrap.

Hydro CIRCAL 75R has a carbon footprint of 1.9 kg kilo CO2e per kilo aluminum, which is 88% lower than the global average for primary aluminum. Production requires strict control of scrap flows and advanced sorting technology. Availability is therefore limited, but annual capacity can accommodate industrial and larger-scale applications.

Using recycled aluminum in the production process means that a lower amount of heat (and therefore energy) is generated. This energy usually contributes to CO2 levels in the atmosphere, so by reducing the amount of energy required to create the material, the climate footprint is reduced.

The recycled content in Hydro CIRCAL refers exclusively to aluminum that has reached its end of life as a product in use and is brought back into the loop via recycling. This can for example be aluminum from demolished building projects, food and drink containers or even cars.

Once the aluminum is reclaimed, it is cleaned and sorted so only the finest (and least contaminated) scrap materials are put back into circulation. This is to ensure that additional energy isn’t used to recycle it.

Hydro's aluminum design services

Hydro’s low-carbon aluminum products are designed to help you reach your sustainability goals and meet the demands of ever more climate-conscious consumers. We can also help you ensure that your products are designed and constructed with the environment in mind. Learn more about how you can use our aluminum design services.