Novelis, the global leader in aluminum rolling and recycling, is making significant strides towards a more sustainable future with a major investment in its Latchford, UK plant. The company's $90 million commitment aims to substantially increase recycling capacity for used beverage cans (UBCs) and reduce carbon emissions in its aluminum sheet production.
The investment at Novelis Latchford will increase the facility's UBC recycling capacity by 85 kilotonnes per year, more than doubling its current capabilities. This expansion includes the construction of a new dross house, three new bag houses, and the installation of cutting-edge technologies for shredding, sorting, de-coating, and melting. These advancements will enable the plant to process a larger volume and wider variety of aluminum scrap while improving operational efficiency.
The upgraded facility is expected to begin commissioning in December 2026. Once complete, it will have the capacity to recycle 100% of UBCs collected under the future UK deposit return scheme. This development creates a local, fully circular system that eliminates the need to export scrap from the UK, further reducing the carbon footprint of the recycling process.
Novelis' investment in Latchford aligns with its ambitious sustainability goals and reinforces its position as a leader in the European recycling market. The company reported an average of 63% recycled content in its products for fiscal year 2024 and aims to further increase this percentage across its product range.
The expansion of recycling capacity and implementation of advanced technologies at Latchford is projected to result in an annual CO2e reduction of more than 350,000 tonnes for Novelis Europe. This significant decrease in emissions demonstrates the company's commitment to driving the transformation of the aluminum industry towards full circularity and leading the market with innovative, high-recycled, and low-carbon aluminum solutions.
By enhancing its ability to recycle all types of UBC scrap, Novelis is supporting its own sustainability objectives along with customers across industries, including aerospace, automotive, beverage can, and specialties.
