Porsche has entered into a joint project with Norwegian aluminum company Hydro to develop sustainable aluminum solutions for the sports car manufacturing process. The cooperation will allow for a significant reduction in CO2emissions related to aluminum use by Porsche, using low-carbon primary aluminum and high-recycled-content secondary aluminum.
Toward Carbon Neutrality:
By 2030, Porsche wants to achieve a carbon-neutral value chain for new cars. That’s why this cooperation with Hydro is an important contribution to the realization of that goal. Aluminium is indispensable for the manufacture of lightweight vehicles, decidedly in electric cars. For example, in the body structure of the Porsche Taycan, about 30% is made of aluminium.
Low-Carbon Primary Aluminium:
At the heart of this cooperation is the production of low-carbon primary aluminum. Hydro is producing this aluminum in Norway, which is powered by renewable energy sources—the greater part coming from hydropower. The carbon footprint could be reduced by a factors multiple of size compared to the global average for the production of primary aluminum by this method. Using renewable energy gives a low carbon footprint for aluminum production and hence fits the sustainability goals of Porsche.
High-Recycled-Content Secondary Aluminum:
Another key area of attention is the use of more recycled aluminum. Commitment by Porsche and Hydro is to apply secondary aluminum produced from post-consumer scrap. Hydro aims, in 2027/28, to source secondary aluminum with at least 75% from raw material recycling. This indeed leads not only to a reduction in carbon footprint but also helps create circularity in the automobile industry through the reuse of materials and minimize generated wastes.
Supply Chain Transparency and Responsibility:
The cooperation with Hydro underlines responsible purchasing by Porsche. How? At Hydro, the aluminum supply chain is completely transparent to ensure that the raw materials used are purchased responsibly for the vehicles of Porsche. Kind of transparency that is very important in the assurance of high ethical standards and promoting sustainability along the entire supply chain.
Innovation and Sustainability:
This shall propel long-term strategic cooperation in pushing innovative solutions and business models scaled in decarbonization and circularity within the automotive sector. The partnership shall raise the benchmark in sustainability for aluminum production at Porsche and Hydro, hence giving the automotive sector a more livable future ahead.
The Road Ahead:
This cooperation is an important step toward a carbon-neutral value chain. Helping to work out a sustainable aluminum production chain, Porsche minimizes the ecological footprint of the automobiles it manufactures and assumes a role model function for the entire automotive industry. This cooperation underlines how much innovation and collaboration are required to achieve sustainability goals and to master the challenge of climate change.
Conclusion:
This partnership between Porsche and Hydro thus represents an important milestone toward green aluminum production in the automotive industry. With the twin targets of low-carbon primary and high-recycled-content secondary aluminum, this partnership will help drive carmaker Porsche’s ambition of a carbon-neutral value chain by the year 2030.
Source: Porsche