Back to all Embodied Ecological Impacts

Aluminium

Aluminium ore, or Bauxite, is the raw material used for the production of aluminium, which is extensively used in construction for its anti-corrosive and lightweight properties. It is applied as a lightweight and structural material, for example in window and door frames, roofing, and cladding. Bauxite is extracted mostly from Australia, China, Guinea, and Brazil. All raw materials are ultimately confined to these locations of supply.

Impact Rating

Type

Score

Biodiversity

1 /4

Climate

2 /4

Land

1 /4

Freshwater

1 /4

Ocean

1 /4

Human

4 /4

Key Statistics

25 %

of aluminium produced worldwide is used in construction.

35 %

of aluminium is recycled content.

Reference

Material Extraction

Open-pit mining, also known as surface mining.

Key Impacts

1

Habitat destruction

Many bauxite deposits and mines are often located close to, or even in protected areas and indigenous lands, and often in tropical forests. These areas tend to contain ecosystems of particular importance, such as the Amazon rainforest in Brazil or the Guinean rainforest. Open-pit mining requires large surface areas and necessitates the removal of topsoil and vegetation to access materials that lie underneath. Therefore, existing biodiversity, such as habitats of animal and plant species, will be destroyed during the time of material extraction. Mining impacts highly depend on existing conditions on-site before an intervention.
2

Associated infrastructure

Because bauxite mines are frequently located in remote and ecologically diverse areas, mining requires access to these sites and the energy infrastructure to support mining operations. Linear infrastructure such as roads, power lines, and rail lines can lead to habitat fragmentation and impacts along their route. Making these regions more accessible in turn leads to increased traffic and settlement, with all its associated impacts on pollution, resource use, and waste.
3

Water use

Ore mining and processing require large quantities of freshwater. Many mines are located in areas of water stress, exacerbating the local scarcity even further.
4

Contamination and pollution of soil and water

Large quantities of bauxite tailings, also known as red mud, are stored in open-air dams, requiring large areas of land. Due to their alkalinity and salinity, bauxite tailings present a severe threat to wildlife and ecosystems. In the event of dam failures, these tailings spread over vast areas with hazardous ecological impacts, as demonstrated by many past incidents. In addition, heavy metals present in red mud can accumulate in the food chain. Dust and particulate matter released during mining can have adverse effects on the respiratory systems of nearby humans and animals.

Explainer

Tailings are the waste materials that remain after the extraction of valuable minerals from an ore during the mining process. They are typically in the form of a fine-grained, slurry-like substance and are stored in large impoundments or tailings dams. Tailings contain residual minerals, chemicals, and other by-products of the mining process, such as crushed rocks and processing chemicals.

Existing safeguards and certifications

The Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) has developed two standards, the ASI Performance standard and the ASI Chain of Custody standard, which set requirements for the responsible sourcing, production, and stewardship of aluminium. This includes activities on mining bauxite, the raw material for aluminium production. In order to label aluminium as ASI certified, in needs to be produced by an unbroken chain of ASI Certified Entities through the supply chain.

Best practice and recommendations

When wanting to procure aluminium, here are 3 key considerations to reduce the ecological footprint of your material choice.

Prioritised recycled materials.

Where procuring reused materials and products is not possible, the use of recycled products, or their amount of recycled content, should be maximised. Aluminium can be recycled at virtually no loss of quality. However, as the supply of recycled material is limited by scrap availability, benefits cease to exist if this availability is exceeded on a global scale. Therefore, the amount of recycled aluminium demand should match the availability.

Optimise Design

Optimise design. Design teams should lower the amount of aluminium used. Even though recycling rates are high, the majority of new aluminium still comes from virgin materials. Architectural and product designs should ensure recoverability so aluminium products can be taken apart and reused or recycled. Architects and engineers should specify ASI-certified aluminium.

Prioritise material reuse

Clients, design teams and contractors should reuse existing aluminium materials and products to avoid the need for new aluminium in the first place.
Learn more about material reuse

Solutions

Summary

Aluminium is a high-performing material with high ecological impacts. Its recyclability makes it a key player in a circular economy that does not depend on new extraction of virgin material. However, mining of raw materials needs to be driven down, while scrap collection, sorting, and recycling needs to be scaled up to facilitate a circular economy.

Do you have information about this material? Let us know!

Explore other materials

Aggregates

Globally, almost half (46%) of all primary aggregates are used to manufacture concrete and cement. Just over a quarter is used in roads and 2% is used for railway ballast. The rest is used to provide drainage, fill voids, protect pipes, provide hard surfaces, and in water filtration and sewage treatment processes.

Cement

Cement is a fine powder made from a mixture of limestone, clay, and other minerals, which is commonly used as a binder together with aggregates to make concrete. There are various types of cement, such as Portland cement, slag cement, and fly ash cement, each with different properties and uses.

Iron Ore

Iron ore is a natural mineral deposit that contains iron in various concentrations and is the raw material for the production of steel. It is the world’s most extracted metal and the basis for the production of steel, one of the biggest commodities worldwide.

Timber

As a renewable material with the ability to sequester carbon, the interest in timber has surged in our industry. The majority is used as sawn softwood and boards, while 1 percent is used to produce glue-laminated timber (Glulam) for load bearing elements such as rafters, or cross-laminated timber (CLT) for surfaces such as walls and floors.

Embodied Ecological Impacts

The impact of the materials we use in our built environment is not limited to carbon emissions. This knowledge hub explores the global ecological impacts of the building materials we use in the UK, and how to avoid harm and maximise nature-positivity.
View more