About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Melt Processing, Casting and Recycling
|
| Presentation Title |
How LCA Method Choice Skews the Carbon Footprint of Aluminium Cables With Post-Consumer Scrap |
| Author(s) |
Chibuikem Nwagwu, Jon Halfdanarson, Christina Meskers |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Christina Meskers |
| Abstract Scope |
The industry wants to use more post-consumer scrap (PCS) aluminium in products to lower their carbon footprint. There is a growing list of LCA methods in use. Experts do not agree on what the right method is to account for the use of PCS in different product applications. Unlike the used beverage can, which has a short lifetime, high voltage cables are long-lifetime products with standardised product category rules (e.g. EN 15804). We compare the effects of the cut-off and net-scrap methods on carbon footprint results, using high-voltage cables as a case study. This study shows the effect of different LCA method choices while varying the rates of post-consumer scrap input and end-of-life recyclability. We also argue that the net-scrap approach offers a more robust assessment by covering recycled content and end-of-life recyclability of aluminium products. This better reflects industrial reality and increases transparency and confidence in environmental declarations. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: Light Metals |
| Keywords |
Environmental Effects, Recycling and Secondary Recovery, Other |