drive aluminum gray

Automotive Life Cycle Assessment: Fact Checking Steel Industry Studies (June 2020)

The Aluminum Association, as the leading voice representing the North American aluminum industry, offers a critical look at the quantitative environmental assessment method of life cycle assessment (LCA) in a new white paper. Credibility is the key to continued success in this evolving automotive market. As aluminum’s environmental impact is misrepresented by competitors, the aluminum industry is compelled to respond with verifiable facts.

Research Highlights

  • Aluminum was identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as the material most often specified by industry LCAs for providing the highest benefits for life-cycle energy and greenhouse gas emission reductions. 
  • LCA works from the steel industry overestimate the capability of advanced high strength steel (AHSS), and underestimate the capability of aluminum for mass reduction. 
  • Only studies from the steel industry claim that steel is more sustainable than aluminum overall. 

Related Resources

2023 North American Light Vehicle Aluminum Content and Outlook
Processing for Aluminum Auto Body Sheet
Aluminum Galling and Lubrication for Automotive Applications