Novelis announced a $90 million investment to enhance its recycling capabilities at its Latchford plant in the UK. The project will increase the facility's capacity for recycling used beverage cans (UBCs) by 85 kilotonnes annually, more than doubling its current capacity.
According to Emilio Braghi, executive vice president of Novelis and president of Novelis Europe, the company aims to maximize the recycled content in its products, with a global average of 63% recycled content in fiscal year 2024. This investment supports Novelis' commitment to sustainability and the drive towards full circularity in the aluminum industry.
The expansion includes constructing a new dross house, installing three new bag houses, and adding advanced shredding, sorting, de-coating, and melting technologies. These upgrades will enable the plant to handle a larger volume and new types of aluminum scrap, improving operational efficiency. Once complete, the project is expected to reduce CO2e emissions by over 350,000 tonnes annually for Novelis Europe.
The commissioning of the expanded facility is scheduled for December 2026. The plant will then be able to recycle 100% of UBCs collected under the UK's future deposit return scheme, creating a local, fully circular system and eliminating the need to export scrap.
Allan Sweeney, plant manager of Novelis Latchford, highlighted that the investment will strengthen the company's position as the UK's largest aluminum recycler. The new technology will allow Novelis to recycle all types of UBC scrap, supporting the company's sustainability goals and those of its customers.
