Non Ferrous Metal and Sustainability
Non Ferrous Metals are a finite resource. They are won from minerals in the earth and once extracted and incorporated into products, can only be replaced by either mining or extraction from the ground or if they are recycled. Non Ferrous Metals play an integral role in the Circular Economy and fortunately many of them can be infinitely recyclable without loss of quality or properties.
Non Ferrous Metals are vital to the sustainability agenda, being essential ingredients to modern battery technology, catalysts for hydrogen production, electronics and novel high strength materials. The energy required to recycle Non Ferrous Metals is often significantly lower than that required to create the raw material, with an excellent example being Aluminium, where the recycling cost is only around 5% of that required to create the raw material.
The NFA promotes a complete lifecycle approach to sustainability and therefore we encourage our members to adopt a fully circular assessment approach to their business, from refining of raw material through to use and recycling. We encourage a whole life approach to design where sustainability and recycling are built in to the core of the design process. The Non Ferrous Alliance supports responsible sourcing of materials and the adoption of sustainable energy management principles.
Non Ferrous Metals have always played an integral role in ensuring that the energy that we use gets delivered to the user. Traditionally, energy delivery has been via Non Ferrous Metals, such as copper, aluminium and lead, encapsulated in cables and power lines. Now, our members are working tirelessly with innovators in the energy sector to ensure that novel battery technology keeps pace with the drive for energy storage, electric vehicles and the drive towards a smart electricity delivery and storage network. Without Non Ferrous Metal innovation the battery technology would not be possible.
In addition to sustainable energy, Non Ferrous Metals play an essential role in automotive, aerospace, electronics, chemical production and catalysts industries.
Many of our members are involved in development and creation of special alloys which have exceptional engineering properties and which allow new sustainable technologies to be designed and built.
The Non Ferrous Alliance will continue to drive the sustainability agenda with our members and will assist via advocacy and lobbying to ensure that a sustainable approach remains at the forefront of our agenda.
