Aluminium and sustainability

[toc]How does that fit together? The material aluminium is frequently criticized, because of the mining of bauxite and the high energy requirement for the production of primary aluminium. However, what often is not considered in this discussions are the benefits arising from the use of aluminium:

  • unlimited recyclability and thereby increasing the amount of recycled aluminium which is in circulation

  • multifunctional and durable material. Its properties create applications that save energy in a lasting and efficient manner in building and construction, transportation, plant engineering and construction, mechanical engineering and in many other fields

  • the energy used in the primary production of aluminium is not lost, because it is stored in the products and “reactivated” during recycling. The energy use of recycling is up to 95 % lower as compared to the primary aluminium production.

More information under www.aluinfo.de/en.

Metawell GmbH and sustainability

The environmental management system is certified according to DIN EN ISO 14001 and is constantly monitored by indicators such as energy use, emissions and waste rate. No toxic substances are released by the manufacturing of the products. On top – the heat generated during the production is used for heating the administration buildings.

DEKRA Zertifikat

How Metawell® products contribute to environmental protection

Thanks to the design of the product a very light material with an extremely high bending stiffness is created. In comparison to a 4.7 mm thick steel plate (37.1 kg) the 10 mm thick material for example, weighs just 5.7 kg and has the same rigidity. There is a high proportion of secondary aluminium in Metawell® products.

Sustainable aluminium lightweight products in transportation

The future of transportation without permanent lightweight solutions?
A very incredible vision! For this reason, Metawell committed itself to the development of durable and lightweight products. Depending on the application, Metawell® products are suitable for a usage of up to 30 years. This is made possible by the use of 5000 series aluminium alloys with a minimum magnesium content of 2.7% and comprehensive protection with a primer on all surfaces, including the interior of the product. When considering the full lifetime this leads to savings in maintenance and replacement of material. Also the following equation is pretty easy to understand:

Less weight because of lightweight design = less required energy for moving the vehicle = saving energy costs and emissions

There is not much to add! Except maybe that in a study by the nonprofit Institute for Energy and Environmental Research Heidelberg GmbH, the savings in energy costs over the whole lifetime of a train were peer-reviewed. Just talk to us.

Greenbuilding – sustainable products specifically for the construction industry

Building under the aspect of sustainable building is refered to as green building. Institut Bauen und Umwelt Energy and the raw material itself are used as efficient as possible and at the same time negative effects on the human being and its environment are reduced. The construction of the building, the period of use as well as the environmental friendly waste management are taken in consideration.

These aspects must be measurable in order to be compared. Therefore in many countrys institutions have been founded which undertake the evaluation according to different criteria. In Germany the evaluation is effected according to the criteria of the german sustainbale building council: ecological and economic quality, sociocultural and functional quality, technical quality and the quality of process and location.

Benchmark points are assigned to for acchieving the aimed specification on the individual criteria. According to the sum of all benchmark points and its`weighting the german sustainable building council determines on the certification in either bronze, silver or gold. Also a certification in either bronze, silver or gold according to LEED is made.

Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)

To facilitate the certification of a building, so called environmental product declarations (EPDs) are advantageous, because the single products have a life cycle assessment.

For the facade products Metawall® and Metawall® A2 and for functional ceilings EPDs are offered according to DIN EN ISO 14025 Type III and EN 15804.