Alcoa is expanding its Sustana line of products with the introduction of EcoSource, the industry’s first low-carbon, smelter-grade alumina brand. Alumina (Al₂O₃) is an excellent ceramic oxide with a very wide range of applications, including adsorbents, catalysts, microelectronics, chemicals, aerospace industry, and other high-technology fields.

Alumina ceramic substrates, which can withstand temperatures of more than 1,000 ˚C, have a variety of applications in the automotive industry, including in engines, sensors, and shock absorbers.

EcoSource is produced with no more than 0.6 tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO₂e) per ton of alumina—two times better than the industry’s average of 1.2 tons of CO₂e. Alcoa’s measurement includes direct emissions from the company’s bauxite mining and alumina refining processes and indirect emissions from the energy consumed in those processes.

Alcoa has the world’s largest third-party alumina business, and its refining system has the industry’s lowest carbon footprint. The refineries that produce EcoSource alumina have an average carbon emissions profile better than 90% of the other alumina refineries operating today.

EcoSource alumina adds to Alcoa’s existing Sustana line that also includes:

• EcoLum low-carbon aluminum is produced with less than 4.0 metric tons of CO2e for every ton of metal produced, including both direct and indirect emissions for bauxite mining, alumina refining, smelting and casting. This performance is approximately 3.5 times better than the industry average and is offered in a full range of primary products, including billet, foundry, slab, unalloyed high purity, and P1020.

• EcoDura aluminum is made with a minimum of 50% recycled content. The product can also deliver benefits for building and construction customers in terms of LEED certification points.

All Sustana products can be sourced from Alcoa facilities certified by the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI), a global nonprofit with the industry’s most comprehensive third-party certification of sustainable manufacturing practices.

Alcoa has locations across its three product segments certified to ASI’s Performance Standard, and the company has also earned ASI’s Chain of Custody standard, providing validation and traceability of responsible production, sourcing and stewardship of aluminum.