Novelis "Recycling 2 Million Tons of Aluminum Cans... Reducing 20 Million Tons of Carbon"

"Effect of Planting 340 Million Trees"

Novelis Gyeongsangbuk-do Yeongju Recycle Center Can Scrap. (Photo by Novelis Korea)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Novelis, the world's largest aluminum rolling and recycling company, announced on the 21st that it has achieved a cumulative recycling record of 2 million tons at its recycling center in Yeongju Plant, Gyeongsangbuk-do. Since its establishment in 2012, it has recycled a total of 133.3 billion cans, reducing 20 million tons of carbon. This amount is equivalent to the carbon absorbed by planting 340 million trees annually.

According to Novelis, the Yeongju Recycling Center has an infinite circulation recycling system that transforms waste aluminum cans into new aluminum cans within 60 days. The scale of aluminum can recycling is the largest in Asia. It has an annual production capacity of 340,000 tons of low-carbon aluminum sheet ingots. More than 18 billion beverage cans are recycled here every year.

Recycling aluminum cans contributes to minimizing environmental impact by reducing natural resource mining and energy use. Recycling aluminum reduces carbon emissions and energy consumption by 95% each compared to producing aluminum ingots from mined natural resources.

Novelis operates advanced aluminum recycling facilities in Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. It recycles 74 billion aluminum cans annually. Recently, Novelis announced the establishment of a new recycling center in Korea. The plan is to build an aluminum recycling center with an annual capacity of 100,000 tons in Ulsan by 2024.

Sachin Sapute, President of Novelis Asia, said, "Aluminum is an eco-friendly metal that can be recycled infinitely and is an ideal material for a low-carbon circular economy," adding, "Novelis will develop more technologies and accelerate investments to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050."

In April last year, Novelis announced its sustainability goals, pledging to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and reduce carbon emissions by 30% by 2026. It plans to reduce energy and water usage by 10% each and landfill waste by 20% by 2026. Novelis stated that through this plan, its goal is "to establish itself as a fully resource-circulating company while creating a diverse, inclusive, and safe workplace."