Novelis, a leader in aluminum rolling and recycling, announced on 19 July a partnership with Sortera Alloys, an industrial scrap metal sorting and recycling company, to recycle and reuse higher amounts of both automotive post-production and post-consumer scrap.

Novelis will take advantage of Sortera's advanced sorting technologies, including data analytics and advanced sensors.

How Sortera’s Technology Works 

Today, when different aluminium alloys are mixed, either after the automakers' stamping process or when a vehicle is disposed of at the end of its lifecycle, they cannot be re-separated into the individual alloys. 

As a result, the higher value alloys are downgraded into lower value uses. With the use of the Sortera technology, Novelis will be able to effectively separate the mixed scrap into individual alloys and recycle them back into the same product, closing the loop. This will allow Novelis to meet original equipment makers' exacting needs for performance, durability, safety and design.

"Our partnership with Sortera will allow Novelis to continue to increase the amount of recycled content in our automotive alloys and subsequently reduce our carbon footprint," said Derek Prichett, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development at Novelis. 

"It also aligns with our goal of becoming a fully circular business, as we will be able to keep more automotive aluminum in our supply chain and re-direct it back into the same products."

The partnership supports Novelis' sustainability goals to reduce its carbon footprint by 30% by 2026 and to be carbon neutral by 2050 or sooner. Using recycled aluminum as input material requires approximately 5 percent of the energy used to make primary aluminium, thus avoiding approximately 95 percent of the carbon emissions associated with production.

"We are thrilled to work with Novelis, the global leader in sustainable aluminum solutions," said Michael Siemer, CEO, Sortera Alloys. "Together with existing investors like Chrysalix and Breakthrough Energy Ventures, and now Novelis, we are poised to disrupt the global aluminum recycling space while cutting global emissions and driving a more sustainable industry."