What is Hydro CIRCAL? Hydro CIRCAL is a new brand of certified low-carbon aluminum. Made with a minimum of 75% recycled post-consumer scrap, this important innovation minimizes the aluminum’s carbon footprint. Providing one of the lowest embodied carbon content available, Hydro CIRCAL offers a significantly more sustainable option. Fully traceable and certified by an independent third party, Hydro CIRCAL is a unique low-carbon aluminum. Hydro operates an advanced aluminum sorting technology, meaning the aluminum is reclaimed, cleaned, and sorted so only the finest scrap materials are reintroduced into circulation. This sorting ensures that no additional energy is used during the recycling process. Hydro guarantees a minimum of 75% recycled content, exclusively containing aluminum that has reached the end of its product life. By using recycled aluminum, the energy used during the production process is drastically reduced, whilst still offering high-quality aluminum. Why have we moved to Hydro CIRCAL? We have worked closely with Hydro to ensure that we are using aluminum with the highest recycled content available and the lowest carbon footprint. The move to Hydro CIRCAL means we can guarantee our clients the high-quality glass wall partitions they expect made with low-carbon aluminum. By using a minimum of 75% post-consumer recycled content, we can guarantee the majority of the aluminum used in our products has reached its end of life as a previous product and is brought back into the supply chain. Hydro can guarantee a CO2 footprint below 2.3kg per 1kg of aluminum produced. Which is the lowest carbon footprint of any aluminum commercially available today. Until now we have been using Hydro Restore which has an embodied carbon of 6.12kg Co2 per kg of aluminium, which is better than the U.S. average of 16kg Co2. But Hydro CIRCAL 75R only has an embodied carbon of just 2.3kg Co2 per kg of aluminium. That is a massive reduction of more than 85%. We have been monitoring the impact of our products through third-party accredited Environmental Product Declarations (EPD)s for some time, and this move to Hydro CIRCAL extends our ability to minimize the environmental impact of our products. Always improving for the future We have been using recycled aluminum in our products for a while now, but this move to Hydro CIRCAL allows us to increase this amount even further and reinforce our commitment to discovering the most sustainable solutions. Recycled aluminum requires only 5% of the energy needed to produce primary aluminum [1]. Therefore, by using recycled content in our systems this significantly reduces the amount of energy required to create our glass wall partitions and doors. By introducing Hydro CIRCAL, we are proactively minimizing the carbon emissions associated with our products, highlighting just one of the ways we are leading the Circular Revolution. How does Hydro CIRCAL fit into PurOptima’s journey toward sustainable development? Infinitely reusable, aluminum obviously plays a huge part in all our award-winning glazed partition and door systems. The move to Hydro CIRCAL is a historic step in our journey toward sustainable development. As an international manufacturer, we are constantly considering the future and our role in it and that is why we are focusing more and more on how we produce and consume as a business. Designing products and processes which incorporate reusability, and the circular economy is key to how we work now and in the future. We recognize our clients are looking for more sustainable solutions which can adapt and evolve as they do. As a market leader, we are developing several innovations that will support our clients and as well as the environment moving forwards, and Hydro CIRCAL is another of these innovations. Why is introducing Hydro CIRCAL important for PurOptima? “We are very excited to announce that we will be moving to Hydro CIRCAL. We have worked closely with Hydro to ensure we use aluminium with the maximum recycled content available and the lowest embodied carbon. This decision highlights our dedication not only to meeting the needs of our clients but to improving our environmental performance as a UK manufacturer. The move to Hydro CIRCAL will play a crucial part in our journey to sustainable development by minimising the carbon footprint associated with our products whilst still delivering the high-quality solutions our clients expect from Optima.”Christian Mabey, Managing Director, Optima Products Limited “We pride ourselves on the strong relationships we build with our clients. These relationships are developed through a deep understanding of their needs. By listening to our clients, we can meet their changing design requirements and offer them bespoke solutions. The decision to move to Hydro CIRCAL is one that comes in part from listening and reacting to the concerns and aspirations of our clients. We recognise that our clients are looking for more sustainable options to enhance the environmental performance of their fit-outs by employing the circular economy. Our core values allow us to continually make a positive difference by nurturing and encouraging excellence across all aspects of our business and moving to Hydro CIRCAL exemplifies how we are delivering on our core values. Kevin Mayer, U.S. Country Manager for PurOptima explains, “Currently U.S. produced aluminum has an embodied carbon of 16kgCo2, compared with a European average of 8.6KgCo2. Contrastingly Hydro CIRCAL aluminum exclusively available in the U.S. in PurOptima’s glass wall partitioning systems has an embodied carbon of just 2.3kgCo2 which is a massive benefit for clients. We have already been able to make significant carbon reductions for clients looking to reduce their carbon footprint.” As a market leader, we are developing several innovations that will support our clients, and the environment, moving forward. Our use of Hydro CIRCAL is another one of these innovations.” Kevin Mayer, US Country Manager, PurOptima
