LocAI® LOWER CARBON ALUMINIUM NOW SUPPLIED AS STANDARD FOR CAPRAL PROPRIETARY WINDOW AND DOOR SYSTEM

LocAI® LOWER CARBON ALUMINIUM NOW SUPPLIED AS STANDARD FOR CAPRAL PROPRIETARY WINDOW AND DOOR SYSTEMS

Kellie Moore, Corporate Marketing Communications Manager | Capral Limited

Capral has recently introduced LocAl®, a lower-carbon primary aluminium option available across Capral's locally manufactured, extruded window and door systems. Providing Australian aluminium window and door manufacturers with access to cleaner, greener, more sustainable aluminium for their projects.

The LocAl ® offer includes two lower carbon aluminium options: LocAl ® Green with carbon emissions of 8 kg CO 2 e/kg Al * and LocAl ® Super Green at 4 kg CO2e/kg Al * - amongst the lowest carbon aluminium available globally.

As an industry, we have often focused on the efficiency of window products during their use phase. Thermal performance is a long-standing and recognised priority for system designers and glass and window manufacturers. In recent times, however, there has been growing discussion and interest in reducing embodied carbon within the built environment.

After cement and steel, used in commodity quantities within the built environment, aluminium manufacturing is the third highest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the construction materials sector. Of the three primary materials that contribute to nearly 70% of a building's embodied carbon, aluminium is the most emissions-intensive per tonne by far, contributing approximately 14.2 - 20t COe/t Aluminium.

It is estimated that the embodied carbon emissions of materials used in Australian construction are 30-50 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (C02e) per year (for domestic production), which is approximately 5-10% of national greenhouse gas emissions. These numbers are hard to ignore. As architects, building designers, developers, and industry become increasingly aware of the embodied carbon issue, demand for lower-carbon building products will continue to rise.

In 2022, Capral committed to reaching Net Zero emissions by 2050, a significant step change, driving rapid innovation and cultural evolution throughout the business, most notably within procurement and operations. The introduction of LocAl ® demonstrates a deliberate shift in Capral's procurement strategy for primary aluminium billet.

Capral has committed to supplying their established range with a 50% reduction in embodied carbon, giving fabricators, builders and architects the ability to work with a well know and regarded, locally extruded and manufactured window system with up to halfthe embodied carbon of similar products on the market.

From November 2022, Capral will offer LocAl ®green aluminium across all Capral proprietarywindow and door systems as standard withno pricing premium. That is, when you specifyfrom the Capral AGS™, Artisan™, Futureline™Urban™, UrbanPlus™ or locally distributedSchüco ® ranges, the primary aluminium forthose systems will carry the LocAl ® greenbadge, with a carbon intensity of 8 kg CO2e/Kg Al * — 50% lower than the current globalaverage for primary aluminium.

Brendon Orth Capral's National SpecificationManager comments:

'We feel it is vital to respond to the needs of the Architecture and Design community in their commitment to reducing embodied carbon within the built environment. By making LocAl TM green standard across all our proprietary window systems, architects can specify systems they are familiar with, with no extra effort and no pricing premium. The outcome is a lower embodied carbon solution for their projects.'

Fabricators, Architects, developers, and builders seeking best-in-class low-carbon aluminium products may choose to specify LocAl ® super green, which will be supplied at a modest premium upon request.

Aluminium is often touted as the 'Sustainable metal', its versatility and recyclability earning it this reputation. However, there are significant variations in the carbon emissions generated by smelters during the production of primary aluminium — one might argue that some aluminium is considerably more sustainable than others.

The main contribution to the carbon emissions of aluminium comes from the electrolysis process used in aluminium smelting. Around 60% of the aluminium sector's GHG emissions are from the production of electricity consumed during the aluminium smelting process.

A salient fact that may surprise some is that combined, the four Aluminium Smelters producing primary aluminium within Australia consume approximately 10% of the national energy grid.

The carbon emissions in primary aluminium production range from under 4 kg CO 2 e/kg Al to over 20 kg CO2e/kg Al, largely dependent upon the energy sources used. The current global average carbon emission for primary aluminium is approximately 16.8 kg CO 2 e/kg Al. *

Michael O'Keefe, General Manager ofMarketing & Technology, comments:

'At eight kilograms of carbon emissions per kilogram of aluminium, the LocAl TM Green offer has 50% lower carbon emissions than the current global average for primary aluminium. At 4 kilograms, LocAl TM Super Green is 75% lower; this is a significant reduction. It gives Australian manufacturers an important opportunity to make more responsible procurement decisions when they source extruded aluminium.'

In addition to lower carbon emissions, theprimary aluminium offered under the LocAl ®brand is sourced exclusively from AluminiumStewardship Initiative (ASI) certified smelters.

ASI is a global non-profit organisation thatbrings together producers, users, andstakeholders in the aluminium value chain. ASImembers are committed to the responsibleprocurement and sustainable productionof aluminium. This globally recognisedorganisation has become the cornerstoneof sustainable aluminium procurement forthe world's leading aluminium organisationsdelivering robust standards and transparency.Capral joined ASI in July 2022.

'Being able to offer LocAl TM aluminiumsourced from ASI-certified smelters givesus the added assurance that the aluminiumwe buy has been produced responsibly withconsideration given to sustainability andsocietal impact. It helps us stand behind

the product we sell and tell our customerswe've done the best we can to deliver you aproduct that has been produced responsiblyat all stages in the value chain,' says Brendon.

Both LocAl ® Green and LocAl ® Super Greenproducts can be supplied with certification uponrequest to meet compliance requirements.

'It's ready; LocAl TM Green is standard on ourwindow systems and for those who want to go further and specify LocAl Super Green, allyou need to do is ask, adds Brendon.

go further and specify LocAl Super Green, allyou need to do is ask, adds Brendon.

Fabricators wanting to differentiatethemselves within the Australian market canwork with Capral to supply this lower carbonproduct into projects.

'This will be a differentiator for windowmanufacturers, particularly on largerscalecommercial projects, we hope that in2023 more and more of the aluminium wesource will be LocAl to meet our customer'sdemands', says Brendon

For more information about LocAl ® , visit lowcarbonaluminium.com.au

* These figures are based on Scope 1 and Scope 2 emission ex smelter.