Recyclable, Sustainable, Versatile:

Spectra believes that aluminum is a material that can provide significant environmental benefits in a broad range of applications.

As a long-standing and active member of the Aluminum Extruders Council, Spectra Aluminum is working with other industry members to promote the use of aluminum to a variety of industries as an environmentally responsible alternative to other materials.

In order to assist you with your environmental initiatives such as the LEED program, we have a certified LEED professional on our Engineering team available for consultation.

The following are some facts concerning the environmental benefits of aluminum as a material for construction, manufacturing and products that are excerpted from the Aluminum Extruders Council Website (www.aec.org):

What does it mean to be green? For a material or product to be considered green, it should have low impact on the environment and therefore favor environmentalism—the practice of protecting and conserving the natural environment and its resources. Aluminum is one such material.

What makes aluminum a green material? Aluminum is recyclable, sustainable, and versatile; three key qualities for any material being used to construct a green building. Historically, aluminum has proven to be one of the most important materials in successful recycling programs. Aluminum offers high scrap value, widespread consumer acceptance, and aluminum recycling enjoys significant industry support. In addition to recyclability, other eco-friendly qualities that aluminum touts while meeting green building requirements include its light weight-to-strength ratio, which allows for the reduction in weight of materials, and its extrudability, which accommodates off-site fabrication.

What is the green building movement? From site location, design, and construction to operation, maintenance, and removal, the goals of the green building industry strive to increase efficiency in the use of resources while reducing impact on people's health and the environment.

Taking the LEED in the green building movement. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) developed the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system, which provides a range of standards used to measure, promote, and stimulate environmentally sustainable construction. The LEEDs program is being promoted in Canada by the Canada Green Building Council and several related government agencies.  

How does the extrusion process fit into the green building movement? The Aluminum Extruders Council acknowledges the use of extruded aluminum as an environmentally responsible approach within the burgeoning green building industry and in the manufacture of innovative products and equipment used to harness alternative energy resources. The sustainable benefits of using aluminum extrusions within the commercial building and construction sector are many. 

The qualities inherent in extruded aluminum profiles also offer freedom, versatility, and reliability to designers and engineers in all market sectors, from building and construction to transportation to engineered products, such as consumer goods.

Aluminum: The Material of Choice for a Greener World Aluminum's inherently sustainable characteristics combined with the extrusion process make extruded aluminum the green building industry's material of choice for now and the future.