Constellium SE is leading a new R&D initiative called “Close the Loop” in partnership with an ecosystem of recycling companies in France, including INDRA (automotive recycling), GALLOO (metal recycling) and MTB RECYCLING (metal shredding & sorting).

Funded in part by the French Environmental Agency ADEME under the France 2030 program, the Close the Loop project aims to develop technologies to dismantle, sort and remelt wrought aluminum from end-of-life vehicles to be used in future vehicles. Recycling aluminum requires only 5% of the energy used to produce primary metal, and emits 95% fewer GHG emissions.

As the amount of aluminum on end-of-life vehicles continually increases due to automakers’ growing use of lightweight aluminum over the past 20 years, it is essential that the metal is efficiently recycled and repurposed into new vehicles, preserving its value and contributing to a circular economy.

Several options, including full vehicle shredding and dismantling aluminum-rich components, will be assessed both technically and economically. New aluminum Auto Body Sheet alloys with increased tolerance to impurities will be prototyped at Constellium’s C-TEC research and development center, which is also investigating new technologies to decarbonize melting operations.

Constellium is a leading full-service supplier of rolled and extruded aluminum solutions for the global automotive market and is collaborating across the value-chain to help drive the low-carbon transition and promote a circular economy.