Pioneering the glass partition industry with our move to Hydro CIRCAL

What is Hydro CIRCAL?

Hydro CIRCAL is a new brand of certified low-carbon aluminium. Made with a minimum of 75% recycled post-consumer scrap, this important innovation minimises the aluminium’s carbon footprint. Providing one of the lowest embodied carbon content available, Hydro CIRCAL offers a significantly more sustainable option. Fully traceable and certified by an independent third party, Hydro CIRCAL is a unique low-carbon aluminium.

Hydro operates an advanced aluminium sorting technology, meaning the aluminium is reclaimed, cleaned, and sorted so only the finest scrap materials are reintroduced into circulation. This sorting ensures that no additional energy is used during the recycling process. Hydro guarantees a minimum of 75% recycled content, exclusively containing aluminium that has reached the end of its product life. By using recycled aluminium, the energy used during the production process is drastically reduced, whilst still offering high-quality aluminium.

Why have we moved to Hydro CIRCAL?

We have worked closely with Hydro to ensure that we are using aluminium with the highest recycled content available and the lowest carbon footprint.  The move to Hydro CIRCAL means we can guarantee our clients the high-quality glass partitions they expect made with low-carbon aluminium. By using a minimum of 75% post-consumer recycled content, we can guarantee the majority of the aluminium used in our products has reached its end of life as a previous product and brought back into the supply chain. Hydro can guarantee a CO₂e footprint below 1.9kg per 1kg of aluminium produced. Which is the lowest carbon footprint of any aluminium commercially available today.

Until now we have been using Hydro Restore which has an embodied carbon of 6.12kg CO₂e per kg of aluminium, which is better than the European average of 8.6kg CO₂e. But Hydro CIRCAL 75R only has an embodied carbon of just 1.9kg CO₂e per kg of aluminium. That is a massive 69% reduction. We have been monitoring the impact of our products through third party accredited Environmental Product Declarations (EPD)s for some time, and this move to Hydro CIRCAL extends our ability to minimise the environmental impact of our products.

Always improving for the future

We have been using recycled aluminium in our products for a while now, but this move to Hydro CIRCAL allows us to increase this amount even further and reinforce our commitment to discovering the most sustainable solutions. Recycled aluminium requires only 5% of the energy needed to produce primary aluminium[1]. Therefore, by using recycled content in our systems this significantly reduces the amount of energy required to create our glass partitions and doors. By introducing Hydro CIRCAL, we are proactively minimising the carbon emissions associated with our products, highlighting just one of the ways we are leading the circular revolution.

How does Hydro CIRCAL fit into Optima’s journey towards sustainable development?

Infinitely reusable, aluminium obviously plays a huge part in all our award-winning glazed partition and door systems. The move to Hydro CIRCAL is an historic step in our journey towards sustainable development. As a UK manufacturer, we are constantly considering the future and our role in it and that is why we are focusing more and more on how we produce and consume as a business. Designing products and processes which incorporate reusability, and the circular economy is key to how we work now and in the future. We recognise our clients are looking for more sustainable solutions which can adapt and evolve as they do. As a market leader, we are developing several innovations that will support our clients and as well as the environment moving forwards, and Hydro CIRCAL is another of these advances.

Why is introducing Hydro CIRCAL important for Optima? 

“We are very excited to announce that we will be moving to Hydro CIRCAL. We have worked closely with Hydro to ensure we use aluminium with the maximum recycled content available and the lowest embodied carbon. This decision highlights our dedication not only to meeting the needs of our clients but to improving our environmental performance as a UK manufacturer. The move to Hydro CIRCAL will play a crucial part in our journey to sustainable development by minimising the carbon footprint associated with our products whilst still delivering the high-quality solutions our clients expect from Optima.”Christian Mabey, Managing Director, Optima Products Limited

“We pride ourselves on the strong relationships we build with our clients. These relationships are developed through a deep understanding of their needs. By listening to our clients, we can meet their changing design requirements and offer them bespoke solutions. The decision to move to Hydro CIRCAL is one that comes in part from listening and reacting to the concerns and aspirations of our clients. We recognise that our clients are looking for more sustainable options to enhance the environmental performance of their fit-outs by employing the circular economy. Our core values allow us to continually make a positive difference by nurturing and encouraging excellence across all aspects of our business and moving to Hydro CIRCAL exemplifies how we are delivering on our core values. As a market leader, we are developing several innovations that will support our clients, and the environment, moving forward. Our use of Hydro CIRCAL is another one of these advances.” Allan Wood, Managing Director, Optima Major Works