Quantifying CO2e emissions savings from the reuse of complex scrap alloys

  Tommy Power

Client: Ireland Alloys Ltd

 

 

 

 

Brief:

Ireland Alloys collects complex scrap alloys and reprocesses them for use in a variety of industries. Tomson were contracted to build a ‘carbon counter' tool to quantify the CO2e emissions saved by reprocessing these alloys, compared to sourcing them from virgin metals. This tool was designed to be used by Ireland Alloys to demonstrate to their customers the potential CO2e savings which could be made by sourcing reprocessed alloys from them. This will contribute to reducing Scope 3 (supply chain) CO2e emissions.

 

 

Areas

CO2e Footprinting, Emissions Savings Quantification, Research & Development, GHG Carbon Footprint Calculation, Scope 3 emissions

 

 

Opportunities

  • Define scope and boundary of alloy production from primary and secondary materials following internationally recognised methods and protocols and calculate CO2e emissions of both processes.
  • Develop a cutting-edge but easy-to-use comparative CO2e emissions calculator tool.
  • Highlight the reduced impact of using reprocessed alloys versus those produced from virgin metals.
  • Give Ireland Alloys ability to demonstrate to potential and existing customers the potential CO2e savings associated with using recycled alloys.
  • Create companion document to explain the data sources and underlying calculations behind the tool.
  • Design tool following ISO 14064-1 standard to enable Ireland Alloys to present emissions savings in a verified statement.

Challenges

  • Ireland Alloys collects, reprocesses, and sells many types of alloys. Tomson had to develop a method that accurately estimated CO2e emissions from primary production of these alloys, and then fairly compare this to the CO2e emission intensity of Ireland Alloys's operations.
  • No specific ISO/PAS standard existed for our tool, so Tomson used ISO 14064-1 to calculate the emissions from primary and secondary alloy production. This will allow Ireland Alloys to collect the underlying data verified by a third party, and present CO2e emissions savings in a statement that meets the requirements of ISO14064-1.

 

 

 

 Outcomes

  • An innovative and cutting-edge comparative CO2e emissions calculator tool was developed that enables Ireland Alloys to show their customers the benefits of using reprocessed alloys.
  • Tool designed following the ISO 14064-1 standard to enable third-party verification of its calculations and give potential customers confidence in its claims.
  • Supporting documentation provided to explain the underlying data sets and calculations behind the tool, giving both Ireland Alloys and potential third-party verifiers valuable insights into the tool's development.