Environmental policy – Clean Planet
Caring for the future: Our environmental policy
Our impact on the world
Exlabesa Clean Planet is an initiative based on the principles of the circular economy that aims to improve the environment, develop a more sustainable production system and reduce the impact of our activity on the environment.
Experience has shown us that caring for the planet must be a priority, that is why we have incorporated the ability to recycle aluminum into our production. Only 5% of the energy used in the production of primary aluminum is used in this process, generating a negligible CO₂ footprint.
We have recycling plants equipped with smelting furnaces and state-of-the-art machinery that allows us to produce up to 40,000 tons of recycled aluminum billets that are used to extrude new profiles and, ultimately, give infinite life to aluminum.
Our recycling process
1 COLLECTION
Aluminum collected both from third parties and from our own factories
2 CLASSIFICATION
It is separated according to its alloy to preserve its mechanical characteristics
3 FOUNDRY
After organizing them in packages, they are melted at 750ºC to create a new billet of aluminum
4 EXTRUSION
With the billet obtained in the foundry, new aluminum profiles are extruded
5 COMMERCIALISATION
These profiles are used by different types of industries for the production
6 USE
The final products are used. Then, the recyling process can start again.
Sustainability
The mining of bauxite and the extraction of aluminum oxide are environmentally problematic because so-called red mud is created. This must be deposited safely.
The producers are trying to renaturate the areas after the bauxite has been mined.
This makes the recycling of aluminum all the more important: this only requires around 5% of the energy that was necessary to produce the primary aluminum!
However, due to high demand, only around 25% of the new aluminum put into circulation currently comes from recycled material.
Taking care of the planet as a priority
We have also implemented environmental management systems such as the international ISO 14001 regulation, which guarantees compliance with the sustainability standards throughout the entire production chain.
Likewise, we achieve a very small carbon footprint in the production of recycled aluminum billet, which is certified by Bureau Veritas.
We are aware of the social responsibility we have, hence our strong firm commitment to sustainability.
