Zenbird Editorial TeamYKK AP Inc. began site deliveries of its 100% recycled aluminium building material, known as Re・AL a residential building project in Tokyo. This is the first application of the material in a rental residential building.
Re・AL is fabricated entirely without virgin aluminium ingots. It uses internally generated manufacturing scrap alongside post-consumer recycled aluminium that has been sorted to remove foreign matter and mismatched alloy components.
Verified by the SuMPO Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), the profile of the material matches the structural quality and functional performance of conventional virgin-ingot equivalents. It also achieves an 85% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions compared to products made solely from new ingot. Across its entire lifecycle, the material reduces carbon emissions by 73% compared to YKK AP’s standard product lineup.
For the Minami-Senju development, YKK AP is delivering approximately 160 sets of its BGE 31 series fireproof building windows made from Re・AL. This supply is estimated to reduce construction-stage carbon dioxide emissions by roughly 70%, equivalent to a reduction of approximately 10 tonnes of carbon dioxide compared to standard product deployment.
Decarbonisation efforts in the real estate sector have historically focused on operational energy efficiency during a building’s lifespan. Adopting closed-loop and high-ratio recycled metals allow developers to lower supply chain emissions without compromising fire resistance or structural performance.
[Reference] YKK AP News Release (Japanese)
