At Milan Design Week 2025, aluminium producer Hydro introduced the R100 project, the second iteration of its material-centred design initiative, following the 2024 100R showcase. The project revolved around Hydro CIRCAL 100R, the world’s first commercially available aluminium made from 100% post-consumer scrap, with a verified carbon footprint of less than 0.5 kg CO₂/e per kg of aluminium.

This material is designed for use across various sectors, particularly in architecture, interior design, and product development, where sustainability and circularity are increasingly embedded in design and procurement decisions.

Localised Circularity Within a 100 km Radius
The R100 initiative challenged Hydro and a group of designers to work entirely within a 100-kilometre production radius, encompassing every step from scrap collection and sorting to casting, extrusion, machining, and finishing. The aluminium was sourced from demolished greenhouses and decommissioned light poles in the Netherlands, amounting to 52 tonnes of scrap.

The project involved a network of Hydro facilities in the Benelux region, supporting a decentralised model of urban mining. This highly localised approach led to a 90% reduction in transportation-related CO₂ emissions compared to the 2024 edition of the project​.

Hydro CIRCAL 100R: Material Properties and Applications
Hydro CIRCAL 100R is a high-quality aluminium alloy produced through Hydro’s advanced recycling and extrusion processes. The material retains all the structural, aesthetic, and corrosion-resistant qualities of primary aluminium while drastically lowering environmental impact. This makes it suitable for applications such as architectural components, interior furnishings, and product and furniture design.

The extrusion process allows for precise shaping, enabling complex profiles with minimal waste. The material’s traceability, from scrap origin to final form, supports compliance with emerging Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and carbon accounting standards in the building and design industries​.

Design Without Material Constraints
Five designers—Sabine Marcelis, Keiji Takeuchi, Cecilie Manz, Daniel Rybakken, and Stefan Diez—were invited to create objects using Hydro CIRCAL 100R. Although unaware of the 100 km production limit at the outset, they were given full freedom regarding scale, typology, and process. The resulting products ranged from home décor items to furniture components, all made exclusively from the mono-material aluminium alloy.

Each object illustrates the potential of integrating sustainable materials into high-quality, functional design without compromising aesthetic or technical ambition​.

Urban Mining and Material Traceability
The R100 project exemplifies a circular material flow, demonstrating how post-consumer aluminium can be harvested, processed, and reintroduced into the design economy at a high value. Hydro describes this as “urban mining put into practice,” with full transparency across every stage of the value chain—from scrap recovery to extrusion and final assembly​.

Source: Hydro
Photos: Einar Aslaksen