AEA presents the main findings of the Environmental Product Declaration, prepared in collaboration with the Polytechnic University of Madrid.
The Spanish Association of Aluminum and Surface Treatments (AEA), which represents more than 600 companies in the sector, has developed the sector’s first Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). This document provides transparent and comparable information on the environmental impact throughout the products’ life cycle and has made it clear that, among other things, aluminum is one of the materials with the highest recyclability potential in the world, witha 95% recovery rate for its profiles at the end of their useful life. Furthermore, recycling aluminum saves 95% of the energy used in its initial production.
Furthermore, among the DAP's main findings, it has been shown thatthe raw material used to manufacture the aluminum profile already contains 39% recycled aluminum, with the primary aluminum content at 61%.
This metal, which today plays a structural role in a multitude of important economic activities (transportation, packaging, household goods, electrical transmission, etc.), is thus at the forefront of the development of thecircular economy. As Jon de Olabarria, Secretary General of the AEA, points out, “the DAP makes it clear that aluminum is a great ally in the new European strategies, which only serve to propel us toward an economic and social system that is efficient in its use of resources. It is about working together to support smart, sustainable, and inclusive growth and looking toward a future in which, at all levels, caring for the environment plays a crucial role. And aluminum is essential to this goal.”
Carbon footprint
In addition to recyclability, another key metric used to measure a product’s environmental impact is greenhouse gas emissions—known as the carbon footprint—which contribute to global warming. In this regard, the Environmental Product Declaration for aluminum profiles reveals the following key findings:
-1 kg of anodized aluminum profile is associated with 11.8 kg of CO2 from the start of the extraction process until the product is ready for delivery; meanwhile, recycling it results in a reduction of 4.0 kg of CO2, yielding a net value of 7.8 kg of CO2 when the profile’s entire life cycle is taken into account.
-1 kg of lacquered aluminum profile is associated with 10.3 kg of CO2 from the start of the extraction process until the product is ready for delivery; meanwhile, recycling it results in a reduction of 3.5 kg of CO2, yielding a net value of 6.8 kg of CO2 when the profile’s entire life cycle is taken into account.
Taking into account all the aluminum profiles studied in the DAP (anodized and lacquered, with and without thermal breaks),the global warming potential (CO2) ranges from 10.3 to 11.8 kg of CO2 per kilogram of profile. Recycling the profiles results in a reduction of between 3.0 and 4.0 kg of CO2 per kg of profile.
Non-renewable Primary Energy
The non-renewable primary energy used in the manufacture of aluminum profiles is another indicator of their environmental impact. Thus, the DAP highlights that:
-For every kilogram of anodized aluminum profile, 420 MJ of primary energy is required; recycling, however, results in a reduction of 49 MJ, yielding a net value of 391 MJ when the profile’s entire life cycle is taken into account. -For every kilogram of lacquered aluminum profile, 345 MJ of primary energy is required; recycling, however, results in a reduction of 43 MJ, yielding a net value of 299 MJ when the profile’s entire life cycle is taken into account.
As with the previous figure, taking into account all aluminum profiles included in the DAP,the primary energy consumption is 420 MJ and 324 MJ per kilogram of profile. Recycling the profiles results in energy savings ranging from 49 to 38 MJ.
In all cases, the aluminum billet production stage accounts for the largest share of the environmental impacts, followed by the extrusion stage and the coating/anodizing operations for the profiles.
Benefits of the EPD for the Construction SectorObtaining an Environmental Product Declaration represents a significant innovation and offers numerous advantages for the construction sector:
- Products containing DAP help building projects in which they are specified earn extra points toward environmental certifications such as LEED, BREEAM, VERDE, etc. - It allows for reliable verification of the recycled content at the beginning of the product’s life cycle and the recycling rate at the end, thereby demonstrating the product’s contribution to the circular economy. - It positions products to meet future, more restrictive legislative and regulatory requirements. - It facilitates demonstrating that the product meets basic requirements 3 (hygiene, health, and the environment) and 7 (sustainable use of natural resources) of EU Regulation 305/2011 on construction products. - The information provided in a DAP is based on a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), which enables process improvements; the results of these improvements can, in turn, be reported through the DAP itself. This LCA is also compatible with those used in other environmental footprints (such as the product environmental footprint, PEF) or the carbon footprint. - Since they are subject to verification by an independent third party, they provide quantified and robust information obtained through a standardized process.
A Declaration That Marks a Milestone for the Industry
The DAP was developed by the AEA with the collaboration of companies in the sector, which provided all the inventory data. The life cycle assessment (LCA) on which the published results are based was led byDiego Ruiz, a specialistat IDNOVAM, a spin-off of the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM). The DAP represents a milestone for the industry, which, for the first time, now has a comprehensive, harmonized document that provides verified and complete data on the environmental impact of extruded aluminum profiles throughout their entire life cycle.
As Olabarria adds, “The goal of the DAP is to provide concise and useful information on the main aspects of the potential environmental impact of aluminum profiles, such as energy use, global warming, and acidification. The creation of this document—a first in Spain—is truly significant, as it will enable various stakeholders and companies, from architects to end users and consumer firms, to make informed decisions about the use of this metal.”
Likewise, the Association’s Secretary General concludes, “The Declaration’s objective findings place aluminum at the forefront of the circular economy, clearly demonstrating how much this material contributes to society and the potential it holds in terms of efficiency, energy savings, and sustainability. We must not lose sight of the fact that achieving rigorous environmental certifications, such as BREEAM, LEED, and VERDE, is already a reality—and will continue to be the future—in the architecture and construction sector; certifications that the use of aluminum in buildings helps to obtain.”
Aluminum, among other characteristics, has various properties that make it one of the most efficient materials for the architecture sector. These include its lightness, strength, durability, malleability, and corrosion resistance.
DAP Verification
The DAP was prepared in accordance with the UNE-EN 15804 standard for construction products and services and verified by an independent third party. The document demonstrates, through rigorous and verified information, the environmental performance of aluminum profiles, so that this performance can be used to obtain environmental certifications for buildings. The DAP has been registered in the EPD System® by Environdec and in Global EPD, a system administered by AENOR.
The study's findings cover extruded aluminum profiles—whether anodized or painted—including those with thermal breaks (RPT). It covers the entire life cycle of aluminum profiles—from the manufacturing stage (raw material production, transportation to the plant, and profile fabrication) through to the end of their life.It also provides information on the environmental benefits and impacts resulting from the recycling of aluminum at the end of its useful life and its use in a second product system (Module D).
The DAP was compiled using information from a large number of profile manufacturers, surface treatment companies, and raw material suppliers—all members of the AEA—which account for 74% of the Association’s total extrusion production capacity and 62% of Spain’s, representing more than 280,000 metric tons of extruded aluminum per year. All of this primary information is based on production data for aluminum profiles manufactured in 2017.
