Jaguar Land Rover upcycles aluminium to cut emissions

Research by Jaguar Land Rover has revealed how an innovative recycling process could upcycle aluminium waste from drinks cans, bottle tops and end-of-life vehicles into the premium cars of the future and reduce production CO₂ emissions by up to 26%, helping Jaguar Land Rover further close the loop on its manufacturing and use of raw materials.

The REALITY aluminium project is a key part of Jaguar Land Rover's Destination Zero mission to reduce carbon emissions, and its ambition to make societies safer and environments cleaner through relentless innovation.

Engineers were able to use the recycled aluminium parts and mix it with a lower amount of primary aluminium to form a new and tested prototype alloy, comparable to the existing Jaguar Land Rover grade and quality.

Typically, end-of-life vehicle scrap is exported overseas where it can be reused for low-end applications, but new advanced separation technology has enabled it to be upcycled back into the automotive process, helping close the loop and reduce the environmental impact.

The $3.6 million project, co-funded by Innovate U.K. and in partnership with Brunel University, is helping Jaguar Land Rover extend its aluminium closed loop and recycling initiatives as part of Destination Zero. Jaguar Land Rover has already reduced its global operating CO₂ emissions per vehicle by 50.7% since 2007 and remains committed to an ongoing decarbonisation process. Between September 2013 and March 2020, around 360,000 tonnes of closed-loop scrap have been processed back into the brand's lightweight aluminium intensive architecture, across all vehicle lines including the Jaguar XE.