Image courtesy of Novelis
Novelis Inc., an aluminum rolling and recycling company based in Atlanta, has announced it has joined the First Movers Coalition (FMC). The organization is a global initiative aimed at decarbonizing eight hard to abate sectors, including aluminum, steel and trucking.
Novelis says through the partnership, it will take a prominent role among a global network of companies committed to jump-starting demand for clean energy technologies to reduce carbon emissions from the aluminum manufacturing process.
The FMC, launched during the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in 2021, is a joint venture of the World Economic Forum and the U.S. Department of State. The FMC serves as a platform for businesses globally, alongside governments, to leverage their purchasing power and supply chains to create early markets for innovative, clean energy technologies.
Novelis plans to help expand the use of recycled aluminum globally and help scale new technology in the field. It is unclear how the company plans to do this, however, Suzanne Lindsay-Walker, the vice president of sustainability for Novelis, says the company has begun working with its supply chain to develop a plan to put in place in the future.
“We have our goal to reduce our carbon footprint to be carbon neutral, and we know we can't achieve those goals without new technology that this commitment helps to scale,” Lindsay-Walker says. “This sends a demand signal for the primary industry to let them know that there's a demand, and we want to help them scale the technologies that are needed for all of us to meet our goals.”
Ball Corp., Westminster, Colorado, also joined the coalition. By joining the FMC, both companies have pledged that by 2030, 10 percent of its primary aluminum purchases be near-zero, emitting less than 3t CO2 per ton. The FMC pledge also includes an assurance that by 2030 at least 50 percent of all aluminum Novelis uses is from recycled sources, a metric that the company has already surpassed with 57 percent of its inputs from recycled sources.
Novelis' commitments to the FMC complement its goals to accomplish a 30 percent carbon footprint reduction by 2026 and to be carbon neutral by 2050 or sooner. Lindsay-Walker says there are five key levers to achieving this goal, including maximizing circularity by increasing recycle input, innovating around and introducing new high recycling alloys, increasing capacity to recycle and making Novelis operations more sustainable. The fifth lever is the decarbonization of primary aluminum, which is why the company joined the coalition.
Steve Fisher, president and CEO of Novelis Inc., will announce Novelis' commitment to the FMC during a panel session at the Industry Transition Dialogue in Stockholm June 1. The panel will be chaired by Nancy Gillis, program head of climate action and First Movers Coalition, with special remarks by John Kerry, U.S. special presidential envoy for the climate. Click here for more.
"Novelis is eager to continue our efforts to decarbonize the aluminum industry, as well as support decarbonization in numerous adjacent industries relying on aluminum, by joining the First Movers Coalition," Fisher says. "Aluminum has the potential to reach a near zero-carbon footprint, but it requires investment in clean energy and taking some risks to move the industry forward. Partnerships like the First Movers Coalition can spur those investments by supporting an emerging market for developing technologies.”