Hydro Annual Report 2011b

postponed in 2011 due to the market situation, see also page
59. The development of a recycling center in Neuss, Germany
is continuing as planned.
In Europe, approximately 95 percent of the aluminium in
automotive applications and 96 percent of the aluminium in
commercial buildings is recycled at end-of-life. The recycling
rate for used aluminium cans has continued to grow and is
now above 64 percent for the whole of Europe. The recycling
of other aluminium packaging has increased as well. It is estimated
that at least 55 percent of all used aluminium packaging
in Europe is being recycled today, and further growth, due to
additional collection activities is expected. Hydro and our
partners in the market are supporting aluminium packaging
promotions and recycling initiatives throughout Europe. We
team up with producers of beverage cans, drinks and food, and
other interest groups and industries, to develop specific activities
aimed at raising public awareness about the importance of
recycling. See also page 68.
Development in solar energy
Hydro produces large volumes of frames and support structures
for solar installations and is involved in all main solar
technology areas:
• Photovoltaics, converting sunlight directly into electricity
• Solar-thermal installations, which use sunlight to heat water
• Concentrated solar power, focusing sunlight using mirrors
and producing high-temperature heat and steam for power
production
The aluminium volumes we have supplied to these segments
have followed the general development in the market.
Through collaboration with partners and our own research
and development work, Hydro is providing the solar industry
with aluminium solutions, substituting copper in solar thermal
and replacing glass as reflective material in concentrated
solar power applications. Hydro is also providing building
integrated solar solutions. At Intersolar 2011, Hydro and the
finnish company Savo Solar won the Innovation Award in the
category solar thermal technology for their “All-aluminium
MPE absorber” entry.
Hydro has minority ownership interests in NorSun, which is a
Norwegian supplier of mono-crystalline silicon wafers to manufacturers
of high-efficiency solar cells. In December 2011,
Hydro sold its minority share in U.S.-based Ascent Solar.
resource management
In addition to climate change and energy consumption, our
main environmental challenges are related to waste, emissions
and biodiversity. In 2011, Hydro acquired bauxite mining and
alumina refining activities in Pará in Brazil. These operations
2011 target
• Establish a new environmental strategy
vIABIlItY perForMAnCe
Resource management
2011 result
• New environmental strategy established
2012 target
• Internal review of reforestation and wildlife program in the
Paragominas mine
• Start implementation of the environmental strategy, including
target setting
Ambition
• Minimize our environmental footprint through the life cycle of our
products. No net loss of biodiversity in our activities.
53
include the handling of significant amounts of tailings and
bauxite residue, also known as red mud. Biodiversity, water
and waste management have thus become a more important
part of our agenda.
Hydro’s environmental strategy, which was revised last year,
aims at
• Reducing our environmental footprint
• Helping customers reduce their footprint
• Improving aluminium as a material
In addition to the existing climate strategy and our recycling
strategy, we have decided to prioritize four areas:
• Ecosystems and biodiversity
• Waste and efficient resource use
• Emissions
• Product stewardship
We have established corporate environmental ambitions, and
performance indicators for our production plants. The indicators
vary between plants due to the inherent differences
between, for example, large primary aluminium production
plants and small extrusion plants. They help us measure status
and improvements, and enable us to concentrate on the most
important issues.
Ecosystems and biodiversity
In addition to our mining and alumina refining operations in
Brazil, we have aluminium production plants on four continents.
When developing new projects, we examine environmental
issues ahead of time. The early detection of possible
biodiversity challenges is vital.
Hydro estalished its biodiversity policy in 2004. We were a
pioneer in establishing the overall environmental impacts on
the local ecosystems from the operations of our primary aluminium
plants in Norway through the “Effect Study” initiated
in 1990. We have also worked over many years to minimize
the impacts of our hydropower plants in Norway on freshwater
ecosystems.