By Nora Buli

Aardal, Norway (Reuters) – Aluminum made from material from recycling and renewable energy allows Mercedes -Benz to reduce CO2 emissions in the production of its new range of electric vehicles (VE), as part of a wider effort of decarbonization of operations, said executives in Reuters.

The luxury car manufacturer uses low carbon aluminum, developed in partnership with the Norwegian producer of Norsk Hydro metals, to make its new CLA electric model.

According to the leaders of the two companies, this collaboration is an example of the way in which manufacturers of high -end consumer products can pay a supplement for raw materials in exchange for a more environmentally friendly profile.

“The use of a low carbon steel or aluminum obviously leads to additional costs,” said Gunnar Guthenke, vice-president of Mercedes-Benz responsible for supplying and quality of suppliers.

“The sustainability and desirable products, such as those we manufacture, are simply going to peer,” he added.

Increasing demand for low carbon products

Companies have refused to provide the details of the costs but said that compared to the non -electric model, the new CLA was made with 40% less CO2 emissions.

If the decarbonization of value chains can be expensive, partnerships offer a way to share the burden, so that it is not supported only by manufacturers or customers, said the director general of Norsk Hydro, Eivind Kallevik.

The high price of metal does not dissuade buyers either, even in a more difficult aluminum market in recent years, marked by weak economic growth, he added.

“We see an increasing demand for low carbon products,” said Eivind Kallevik.

The metal made for Mercedes at the Norsk Hydro Aardal factory on the Norwegian coast only generates 3 kg of CO2 emissions per kilogram of aluminum, while the global average is 16.7 kg, companies said.

It includes a quarter of aluminum waste in the mixture, which further reduces the volume of primary metal coming from the foundry with high energy consumption.

In the past, Mercedes has been criticized for an advertising campaign highlighting sustainable development, while it was the subject of a trial brought by a climate defense group in Germany about its impact on the environment. The proceedings were abandoned by a German court in 2022.

(Report Nora Buli, Etienne Breban, edited by Augustin Turpin)

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