The strategic investment in Atessa will expand the plant’s annual recycling capacity from 30,000 to 40,000 tonnes, 20,000 tonnes of which will be from recycled, low-carbon aluminium made by 75 percent recycled post-consumer scrap.

The investment will primarily be allocated for the acquisition of advanced recycling equipment, including a de-lacquering line, an additional furnace and facility upgrades.

Strategic and financial impact

“The availability of recycled, low-carbon aluminium made of post-consumer scrap is extremely important for our further growth and profitability. It is one of our unique selling points and currently our ambitions exceed our capacity,” says Paul Warton, Executive Vice President of Hydro Extrusions.

The introduction of low-carbon, end-of-life recycled production in Atessa is particularly set to play an important role in the growth and profitability of Hydro Building Systems (HBS). The additional capacity also supports HBS’s ambitions to extend its reach into markets in the Middle East, Asia, and China.

Closing the loop in Italy with the Window to Window concept 

The expansion strengthens HBS’s circular economy model, the Window to Window (W2W) concept. 

The W2W concept is an innovative recycling initiative aimed at transforming old aluminium windows into new ones through a fully traceable process. The initiative supports Hydro’s sustainability agenda and fosters significant economic value through the utilization of post-consumer scrap directly sourced from renovation projects.

There are many refurbishment projects in Italy where old aluminium windows and doors are replaced with new ones. The investment will enable the Atessa operations to replace 75 percent of their current sales volume with post-consumer scrap from these refurbishment projects.