Rusal America partners with Mexican manufacturer Almexa for low-carbon aluminium
February 26, 2021
Rusal America Corporation (RAC), Rye Brook, New York, has announced its entrance into a five-year partnership with Almexa, a Mexican manufacturer of aluminium products, for a 100,000 ton low-carbon primary aluminium slab contract. This deal is said to underscore the growing determination among manufacturers to source materials sustainably. To date, RAC has delivered 4,800 metric tons of green aluminium slabs under its ultra-law-carbon brand, ALLOW.
As well as its more traditional aluminium offerings, 2021 has seen RAC expanding into aluminium powders for metal Additive Manufacturing applications. The powders, atomised from its ALLOW feedstock, reportedly have a carbon footprint 75% lower than the global average.
“With the growing demand for sustainable products, companies are sourcing materials that reduce the carbon footprint of their products across the entire value chain,” stated Brian Hesse, president and CEO of Rusal America. “Lightweight, durable and infinitely recyclable, aluminium is the metal of the future low-carbon economy. We are proud to partner with Almexa, a company that shares our commitment to doing the right thing, and collaborating in a true partnership that will deliver innovation, value and efficiency to its customer end-users.”
The En+ Group, RAC’s parent company, is the largest producer of aluminium outside of China and the second largest supplier of a vital industrial commodity for North American manufacturers, supplying over 300,00 tons of environmentally-friendly, low-carbon aluminium to the US economy. This is largely facilitated by the group’s hydropower resource which generates 16 GW of power – for comparison, the Hoover Dam in Nevada generates 2 GW.
The contract will provide Almexa slabs to feed its plant in Mexico City, positioning the company as one of the greenest and most cost-competitive mills in North America. Rusal America’s low-carbon aluminium helps North American companies minimise environmental risks across the supply chain and reduce their overall carbon footprint.
“Our partnership with Rusal America has been the cornerstone of our new company growth strategy,” commented Mike Otero, CEO of Almexa and a member of the Aluminum Association Board of Directors. “Rusal America has helped Almexa at every step of the process – from our initial conversations, to coordinating the first loads of slab hitting the port of Veracruz, Mexico in record time. Our experience with Rusal America has been amazing from not only the product perspective, but also the delivery and technical follow-up. Almexa is proud to call Rusal America a business partner and we look forward to growing with them as we triple our output over the next twenty-four months.”
The company has also announced its goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across all global operations by 2050. It plans to achieve a 35% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030: said to be the most ambitious carbon reduction targets yet seen in the global aluminium industry.
