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Aluminium can be recycled repeatedly with almost no loss of properties, but primary aluminium production is very energy-intensive. So when customers ask about the environmental impact of an aluminium product, the answer depends heavily on the aluminium source (primary or recycled) and the electricity used in production. Life cycle assessment (LCA) helps clarify these factors.
1. What Is LCA?
LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) assesses a product's environmental impacts across its whole life cycle, following ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 (published in 2006, amended in 2020). It has four phases: goal and scope, inventory, impact assessment and interpretation.
For aluminium products, two scopes are common:
Cradle-to-gate: from bauxite mining until the product leaves the factory – common for B2B data requests.
Cradle-to-grave: adds the use and end-of-life stages, where recycling plays a major role.
LCA vs PCF vs EPD: What is the difference?
2. The Aluminium Life Cycle
2.1. Bauxite mining
Bauxite is the aluminium-bearing ore, usually surface-mined in tropical regions. Main impacts relate to land use and energy for mining and transport.
2.2. Alumina refining
Bauxite is refined into alumina (aluminium oxide, Al₂O₃), a white powder. This step needs heat and chemicals and produces bauxite residue (red mud) that must be managed.
2.3. Primary smelting
Aluminium metal is extracted from alumina by electrolysis. This is the most electricity-intensive stage, so primary aluminium emissions depend heavily on the power source (coal, gas, hydro…).
2.4. Alloying and casting
Aluminium is alloyed and cast into extrusion billets or rolling slabs.
2.5. Rolling and extrusion
Slabs are rolled into sheet and foil; billets are extruded into bars and profiles. These steps use electricity and heat (billet heating, annealing).
2.6. Fabrication and finishing
Cutting, machining and surface treatment (anodising, powder coating) produce final products such as windows, frames, components and packaging.
2.7. Use
Service life varies widely: weeks for a beverage can, decades for aluminium in buildings.
2.8. Collection and recycling
End-of-life products are collected, sorted and remelted. According to European Aluminium, recycling aluminium requires only about 5% of the energy used to produce primary aluminium.
3. Emission Hotspots in the Aluminium Life Cycle
| Factor | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Share of primary vs recycled aluminium | Recycled aluminium needs far less energy than primary |
| Electricity source for smelting | Drives most primary aluminium emissions |
| Energy at the fabrication plant | With low-carbon aluminium, extrusion and finishing account for a larger share |
| Material transport | Smaller impact but relevant for long supply chains |
When doing an LCA for an aluminium product, data from billet or sheet suppliers (origin, recycled content, carbon footprint) is often more important than data from the fabrication plant itself.
4. Not Only Carbon
LCA covers several impacts: climate change, acidification, eutrophication, resource use, water use… Optimising only for carbon can unintentionally increase other impacts, which is why the full LCA results should be considered, not just one indicator.
5. Aluminium LCA and CBAM
Aluminium is covered by the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). The CBAM definitive period started on 1 January 2026; EU importers declare the embedded emissions of imported goods, with the first annual declaration (for 2026 imports) due in September 2027. Vietnamese aluminium exporters are therefore often asked for emissions data by EU customers.
Note that CBAM has its own calculation rules. Data collected for an LCA (electricity, fuels, materials) can help but does not replace CBAM reporting. See: What is CBAM?
6. Conclusion
For aluminium products, emissions depend mainly on the aluminium source and the electricity used. LCA helps you identify the real hotspots, choose materials and respond to customer data requests.
If you need support with an LCA or EPD for aluminium products, see: LCA and EPD consulting
References
ISO 14040:2006/Amd 1:2020; ISO 14044:2006/Amd 2:2020
European Aluminium – Recycling (about 5% of the energy of primary production)
Regulation (EU) 2023/956 establishing CBAM
Expert Tang Mong Diep has more than 15 years of experience in environmental management, ESG and sustainable development, with particular expertise in the Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM).
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