Renault establishes closed-loop recycling for Megane model
Constellium and carmaker Renault collaborate in establishing a closed-loop recycling process for the all-new Megane E-Tech electric model.
The manufacturing scrap from the stamping process at Renault will in future be returned directly to Constellium. Based on best practices to avoid mixing 5xxx and 6xxx alloys and to compact scrap for optimal logistics at Renault, Constellium will recycle these alloys, so that they can be reused without any loss of properties, and overall with no downcycling.
A contribution to circular economy
For the new Megane E-Tech Electric, Constellium supplies auto body sheet for outer panels from its Surfalex product range, combining high strength with excellent surface quality and hemming properties, and for the inner panels from the forming optimized Formalex product range. “We are very excited to continue to collaborate with Renault Group on sustainable and efficient aluminium solutions. Together we will contribute to the circular economy within the automotive industry, while also helping both companies to meet their individual sustainability targets,” said Hervé Ribes, Director, Technical Customer Service Automotive for Constellium’s Packaging & Automotive Rolled Products business unit.
“At the forefront of decarbonizing mobility”
“We are delighted to expand these activities with Constellium as part of our journey to carbon neutrality, commented Yvan Chastel, expert leader for Metals and Processes at Renault Group. “The closed-loop recycling we had first established for the former vehicles manufactured in Douai are now further optimized for the production volumes of the all-new Megane E-Tech Electric. This collaboration further demonstrates our capacity to be at the forefront of decarbonizing mobility by reducing CO2 emissions throughout the life cycle of our vehicles.”
This news is a continuation of a long and successful partnership between the two companies on sustainable automotive aluminium solutions. Since 2021, Constellium and Renault Group have been working jointly on R&D projects for alloys and solutions that enable closed-loop recycling, such as in the ISA3 collaborative initiative with ESI Group, Institut de Soudure (Welding Institute), and the University of Lorraine.
Investment in a new recycling centre
Recycling is a key pillar of Constellium’s sustainability targets for 2030, and the closed-loop partnership with Renault Group supports the journey towards achieving them. The company is substantially expanding its recycling capacity, with a €130m investment for a new recycling centre at its facility in Neuf-Brisach, France, which is expected to provide an additional 130,000 t of recycling capacity by 2025.
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