Yesterday Swedish rolled aluminium firm Gränges AB and American aluminium pioneer Alcoa Corp announced an agreement to partner on a collaboration aimed at reducing the aluminium value chain’s impact upon the climate.

The agreement will have Gränges sourcing ECOLUM rolling slabs, which are part of Alcoa’s SUSTANA range of low-carbon products. The entire product line is produced with power derived from hydroelectric sources, making the line emit no more than 4.0 metric tons of carbon dioxide per metric ton of primary aluminium, which is well below the industry average.

Gränges’ SVP Sustainability Sofia Hedevåg expanded upon her firm’s rationale for the agreement.

“Gränges is committed to reducing our climate impact from a life-cycle perspective, and thereby enhancing our sustainability performance. One of the key priorities in our climate strategy is to collaborate along the value chain and increase the sourcing and use of recycled aluminum and low-carbon primary aluminum since such materials significantly reduce our products’ carbon footprint.”

“Our industry-leading performance provides a distinct advantage in offering low-carbon aluminum products to our customers,” elaborated Alcoa’s Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer Tim Reyes. “Alcoa controls its entire aluminum value chain, beginning with sustainable bauxite mining and an alumina refining system that has the lowest carbon dioxide emissions of any producer – all supplying a smelting system predominately powered with hydroelectric energy.”

“There is a growing demand for sustainably-produced materials, with customers acknowledging that it is worth paying extra for these attributes. With our SUSTANA line of products and certifications from the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative, we are able to support the demand for sustainably produced metal.”

Torbjörn Sternsjö, Gränges’ SVP Technology & Business Development, noted the growing market demand for low-carbon aluminium offerings the agreement is aimed at capitalizing upon.

“We see a clear trend that customers are increasingly interested in sustainable and circular materials, and that the demand for sustainability information on material and component level increases. We work proactively with a strong commitment to continually develop our sustainable customer offerings to meet and exceed our customers’ expectations.”

Begun in 1873 in Stockholm, Sweden as Trafik AB Grängesberg-Oxelösund, Gränges AB was resurrected in 2013 as a private company specializing in rolled aluminium heat exchangers. It employs almost 1,800 employees at the present time at two plants – one in Finspång, Sweden, that opened in its present configuration in 1972, and a second in Shanghai, China, opened in 1996. The firm boasts a total nameplate capacity of 420 thousand metric tons per annum and an annual sales total of SEK13 billion (US$1.35 billion).