Duffel, Belgium, 10 June 2021 Passion for detail, maximum precision and top quality. That is how Audi describes the Audi e-tron GT, its third fully electric car since the e-tron SUV and the e-tron Sportback. Large areas of the body are constructed from aluminium and ultra-high-strength steel. ALVANCE Aluminium Duffel BV supplies the aluminium for the side panels and sealing ports with the same passion for detail, precision and quality, and with a shared drive for sustainability.

Ultra-strong, lightweight and recyclable

The lightweight body of the four-door Gran Turismo is manufactured using a multi-material construction, with the outer skin made entirely of aluminium. This light-weighting approach allows for the car as a whole to be designed with low-weight components, enhancing its driving performance as well as lowering its environmental footprint.

“Aluminium is taking on an ever-growing role in electric vehicles. It is both a light and very strong material and very flexible to work with. All of these properties mean aluminium perfectly fits the design, performance and functionality requirements of the Audi e-tron GT,” says Jürgen Bieser, Global Key Account Manager Automotive of ALVANCE Aluminium Duffel BV.

Audi is pressing forward consistently with its electrification offensive. Its objective is to electrify the entire model range through 2025, with around 30 electrified models. But it is not enough just to go electric; the entire car must be more sustainable.

That’s why the designers of the Audi e-tron GT have deliberately chosen to focus on sustainable materials, from the smallest details of the interior to the exterior. Here as well aluminium is an excellent choice. It is one of the most recycled – and most recyclable – materials on the market. In the future all the aluminium used for manufacturing the Audi e-tron GT can be recycled at the end of life of the car.

Audi e-tron GT – © AUDI AG

Sustainable from cradle to car

For Audi, the entire life cycle of its models matters, starting from the supply chain and production, through utilisation right up to recycling.

ALVANCE Aluminium Duffel is part of Audi’s “Aluminium Closed-Loop”. Under this program, remnants of the aluminium sheets processed in Audi factories are immediately returned to ALVANCE Aluminium Duffel BV to be recycled into new sheets of the same high quality. Audi in turn uses the newly recycled aluminium sheets in its production processes.

In addition the operations at ALVANCE Aluminium Duffel are certified against the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) Chain of Custody standard. This certificate ensures that not only the operations at the facility in Duffel meet the ASI standards, but also that the aluminium material has been sourced and produced in a responsible and sustainable way across the entire supply chain, from the extraction of bauxite up to the finished product. Since Audi is also certified against the ASI Chain of Custody, it is possible to keep this certified sustainable material in the loop.

To this end ALVANCE Aluminium Duffel is working with ALVANCE Aluminium Dunkerque on exploring the potential for its sister company to supply metal for its automotive products. ALVANCE Aluminium Dunkerque is the largest smelter in Europe and produces some of the lowest carbon aluminium on the market. The smelter is also ASI accredited under the body’s Performance Standard for responsible production, sourcing and stewardship of aluminium. By sourcing its metal from Dunkerque, ALVANCE Aluminium Duffel strives to enhance its sustainable value chain with ASI accreditation embedded in the entire process, from smelting to rolling.

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ALVANCE Aluminium Duffel, part of the Paris-based ALVANCE Aluminium Group since 1 October 2020, is part of the GFG Alliance and a leading GREENALUMINIUM producer. With a current production capacity of 332,000 tonnes of primary aluminium per year, ALVANCE Aluminium supplies low-carbon products for consumer goods and other sectors such as the automotive, food and beverage, medical and printing industries. ALVANCE Aluminium is committed to being a leader in sustainable aluminium production and has an aim to become carbon neutral by 2030 (CN30).