Why recycled aluminium uses less energy
Primary aluminium is smelted from bauxite by electrolysis. That stage is energy intensive. Recycling scrap skips it and remelts existing metal instead. Published industry figures put the energy used at roughly 5% of primary production, so a saving in the order of 95%. Treat that as a sector figure, not a guarantee on a given batch.
Aluminium remelts without losing its structural properties. The same metal can run through extrusion, use, scrap collection and remelt repeatedly, and the alloy specification still holds. That is why recycled content does not weaken a window or door section.
For a trade buyer the point is the embodied carbon behind the frame, not the headline. Recycled content lowers it, and that figure feeds the carbon line of a project assessment alongside thermal performance on the finished unit.
Where our membership sits, and what it is worth
VitrineAlu is a Council for Aluminium in Building member. CAB is the UK trade association for aluminium in construction, and it supports closed loop recycling routes that sort offcuts and end of life sections back into the supply chain rather than into general scrap.
Our current term runs to the end of 2026, and the membership is listed publicly on the CAB recycling scheme members register. We state the term because a membership claim with no end date is one a client cannot check the currency of, and this site removes the claim automatically when the term lapses rather than leaving it to age quietly.
Membership is not a quality mark on the product. It signals that the fabricator works to the sector's standards on material handling, alloy sorting and recycling, and stays current with how aluminium is specified and assessed for sustainability. If a client asks about responsible sourcing while you price a job, it is a fact in the supply chain you can point at and they can verify. Pair it with the test evidence on the system itself, which is the part that speaks to performance.
What it means on a tender
More commercial and public tenders now ask for embodied carbon data, recycled content statements, or evidence of a take back route for offcuts. Aluminium answers all three well because the scrap holds real value and has a clear recycling path.
Ask the fabricator for a Declaration of Performance and any Environmental Product Declaration that covers the system. Those carry the numbers an assessor wants, not a general sustainability claim.
Closed loop sorting matters because mixed scrap is downcycled into lower grade castings. Sorting wrought alloys back into wrought stock keeps the metal in higher value use. That is the point of the schemes CAB backs.
How to use this when quoting
Lead with the spec your client is buying. Recycled content and a recycling route are supporting facts on the carbon and waste side of a tender, not a reason to charge more on their own.
On curtain walling and large bifold runs the tonnage is significant, so the recycling argument carries more weight than on a single window. Match the detail to the job size.
For documentation we support UKCA marking and Declaration of Performance, and can confirm the standards a system is tested to, including BS EN 14351-1 for windows and doors and BS EN 13830 for curtain walling.
Pricing a job or specifying for a client
Trade buyers pricing a job can request the spec, standards evidence and a recycling route in one go. Send the details through quote and we will confirm what each system is tested to.
Homeowners reading this should not buy direct. Use find an installer and a vetted installer in North West England will handle specification and fitting.