Aluminium, primary production, Global

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Background of emission factor

The emission factor for aluminum represents the carbon dioxide emissions from primary aluminum production. It covers emissions from mining, refining, anode production, electrolysis, and casting, with electrolysis being the largest source. Emissions can be reduced by using recycled aluminum (so-called secondary aluminum).

Emission factor category

A product’s emission factor indicates either life cycle emissions (cradle-to-grave) or emissions from production (cradle-to-gate). The correct emission factor depends on the type of calculation being made. Cradle-to-grave is commonly used for consumer products, while cradle-to-gate is often more practical for business-to-business cases, especially for raw materials. The cradle-to-gate emission factor is, for example, applied in industrial companies’ scope 3 calculations when assessing emissions from raw material purchasing. A product’s carbon footprint also often includes only the cradle-to-gate stages, in which case it is referred to as a partial carbon footprint.