JLR & Novelisâ New Aluminium for Luxury Auto Sustainability
JLR has completed successful scaled trials of a new aluminium skin alloy with Novelis.
This new aluminium is up to 85% recycled and up to 95% more energy efficient to produce.
“This is part of ongoing work by our passionate and dedicated teams in researching and developing more sustainable solutions for our next generation of luxury vehicles without compromising quality or performance,” explains Andrea Debbane, Chief Sustainability Officer at JLR, in a social media post.
“A fantastic result and perfect demonstration of how through collaboration, we are able to innovate and drive circularity forward.”
JLR’s partnership with Novelis
This new aluminium skin alloy isn’t JLR’s first collaboration with Novelis.
In 2008, the companies set a milestone for sustainability in the automotive industry with their REALCAR project.
The project resulted in Europe’s first closed-loop recycling system where aluminium scrap from vehicle production is collected, recycled by Novelis and reused in new car bodies.
Recycling like this reduces the need for primary aluminium which is energy intensive to mine and extract.
The Novelis Advanz 5F-s5754 RC alloy was first used in the Jaguar XE and is now featured in all JLR models.
This alloy can be made entirely from recycled material and uses a dedicated round-trip railway service to efficiently transport material between Germany and the UK.
The closed loop process has realized more than US$1m in savings and resulted in an 80% reduction in COâ equivalent emissions compared to standard road transport.
JLRâs Reimagine approach to sustainability
JLRâs Reimagine strategy lays out a plan for the company to become a carbon net zero business by 2039.
There are four pillars to this strategy:
- Modern luxury
- Electrification
- Sustainability
- Enterprise
The company is also investing heavily in its facilities to focus on electrification and decarbonisation.
Electrification is central to the strategy – by 2030, Range Rover, Discovery and Defender collections will all offer 100% electric options and Jaguar will be entirely electric.
JLR has upskilled more than 25,000 colleagues and partners in electrification and digital skills as part of its Future Skills Programme.
How Novelis approaches sustainability
“Sustainability has been core to Novelis since our founding,” the company says.
“Our fierce commitment to environmental stewardship defines who we are, what we do and why we do it.”
Novelis has achieved a 27% reduction in absolute carbon emissions across Scopes 1, 2 and 3 since 2016 and includes an average recycled content of 63% in its aluminium rolled products.
By 2030, it aims to reach 75% recycled content through strategic partnerships.
The company has also successfully tested the use of hydrogen fuel to power a recycling furnace at its Latchford plant in Warrington, UK.
By replacing natural gas with hydrogen in the melting furnace, Novelis has shown that COâe emissions can be reduced by up to 90%.
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