OPTIMA, a leading manufacturer of aluminium-framed glass partitions, received industry acclaim in 2022 for adopting Hydro CIRCAL as its provider of recycled aluminium, earning them the lowest carbon emissions on the market.

The company is proud to announce another significant milestone in its commitment to sustainability: Hydro CIRCAL, which is used across the entire Optima product portfolio, now boasts an even lower documented carbon footprint of 1.9 kg of CO2e/kg aluminium, a significant step down from the initial 2.3 kg of CO2e/kg and the European industry average of 6.8 Kg of CO2e/Kg.

In 2022, Optima became the first company outside of Hydro’s own building systems division to embrace Hydro CIRCAL, marking a transformative step towards a circular economy. Hydro CIRCAL is a recycled aluminium brand, featuring a minimum of 75% recycled post-consumer scrap, effectively minimising the embodied carbon in the resulting products. Recycling aluminium requires only 5% of the energy needed to produce primary aluminium, significantly reducing the environmental impact.

Now, through advances in sourcing, sorting and traceability of post-consumer aluminium scrap, Hydro CIRCAL has further reduced its carbon footprint, as presented in a new Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). This benefit is directly passed onto Optima’s aluminium-framed glass partitions and doors, significantly reducing their embodied carbon and reflecting the brand’s ongoing drive to be a market-leading, low-emissions partitions manufacturer.

Now, this new development from Hydro CIRCAL underscores the company’s commitment to playing a key role in the circular economy, a principle that is engrained in Optima’s business model. This represents a pivotal achievement in both companies’ journeys towards their Net Zero goals by 2030/2035.

“For the past two years, we are very proud to have been working with a brand that shares the same drive as Optima when it comes to pushing the boundaries of the environmental performance of our products. It’s great to see such a strong enthusiasm for sustainable, low-carbon fit-out products among our clients, we’re more motivated than ever to surpass their expectations and continue to innovate.” Comments Christian Mabey, Managing Director, Optima Products.

Christian added, “The initial carbon footprint of 2.3 kg of CO2e/kg was already ground-breaking. We rolled it out across our entire product range significantly reducing the carbon impact of our glass partitions and doors and allowing us to pass these carbon savings directly on to our clients. Now with a market-leading 1.9 kg of CO2e/kg of aluminium, we’ve taken our high-quality, low-carbon glass partitioning solutions to a new level.”

Hydro CIRCAL: The next generation in aluminium

Hydro CIRCAL stands out with the highest achievable recycled aluminium content, establishing it as a significantly more sustainable choice compared to traditional alternatives. With full traceability and independent third-party certification, it’s revolutionised Optima’s product portfolio. Hydro also operates a widespread network of recycling facilities, totalling 30 across Europe, North America, and Brazil. Expansion in recycling forms a crucial component of Hydro’s strategic plan, as the company intensifies its efforts to meet rising demands for low-carbon, recycled goods.

Committing to a minimum of 75% recycled content, Hydro employs advanced aluminium sorting technology to maximise the use of end-of-life materials. The term “post-consumer scrap” refers to aluminium from demolished building projects, food and drink containers, or even cars, which undergoes a meticulous process of collection, sorting, shredding, and reintroduction into circulation. This ensures that the recycling process is conducted without any unnecessary expenditure of excess energy.

The beauty of Hydro CIRCAL is its infinite reusability, positioning Optima as one of the UK’s most forward-thinking manufacturers of commercial glass partitioning systems.