SUSTAINABILITY
Jordan Aluminum participated with 10 other North American extruders – all members of the Aluminum Extruders Council (with a link to AEC.org)– to produce two Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) documenting the environmental impact of aluminum extrusion production.
We did so because we believe it is important to document and share information about the environmental footprint of our industry so that users concerned with sustainability can make informed decisions.
One of the resulting EPDs addresses standard extrusions while the other focuses on thermally-improved extrusions; both present environmental impact data for mill-finish extrusion and anodized product. In aggregate, the 11 participating extruders submitted data covering 30 separate extrusion facilities, nearly 90 extrusion presses and over 1.7 billion pounds of extruded products – or over one-third of the North American production for the study year of 2015. Data was collected and analyzed by thinkstep, a global leader in sustainability management, and the final reports were verified by UL – Environment. The resulting EPDs are the most thorough produced in North America.
A few highlights:
- Recycled materials accounted for nearly 55% of the total raw material consumed
- The extrusion process itself is a minimal contributor to the environmental impact of extrusions; the largest driver of environmental burden is the aluminum raw material (billet)
- Similarly, finishing – only adds modest burden, as does adding a thermal break.
Complete data on environmental impact, resource use and waste generation can be found in the EPDs themselves. Additional detail is also available in the LCA (life cycle analysis) background report.
Download the EPDs and LCA by clicking on the images below.
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| Aluminum Extrusion EPD | EPD Background Report (LCA) |
