Optima Systems (Optima), a market-leading commercial partitions manufacturer and installer, announces that, from 1st November 2022, the glass and aluminium partitions and doors produced at its Radstock-base facility will be made using Hydro CIRCAL.

Hydro are pioneers in the manufacturing of recycled aluminium with Hydro CIRCAL being the only product of this calibre available in the UK market. Outside of Hydro's own building systems division, Optima are the first UK company to adopt Hydro CIRCAL, leading the circular revolution. 

Hydro CIRCAL is a brand of recycled aluminium, made with a minimum of 75% recycled post-consumer scrap, this minimises the embodied carbon of the products in which it's used. Recycling aluminium requires just 5% of the energy needed to produce primary aluminium, drastically reducing the amount of energy required.

This benefit is then passed onto Optima's glass partitions and doors, greatly reducing their embodied carbon, reflecting the company's ongoing aim to become a low-emission partitions manufacturer.

Furthermore, Hydro CIRCAL's arrival also demonstrates their commitment to circular economic principles, which also sits at the heart of Optima's business model. It's another key milestone in their journey towards their Net Zero commitments of 2030/35.

Commenting on the move, Christian Mabey, Managing Director, Optima Products, says, "We have worked closely with Hydro to ensure we use aluminium with the maximum recycled content available and the lowest embodied carbon. This has led to our decision to completely overhaul our supply chain and introduce Hydro CIRCAL across our entire range of products.

He continues, "By using this new innovative product, we can guarantee a CO2 footprint below 2.3kg per 1kg of aluminium produced. We have been monitoring the impact of our products through third party accredited Environmental Product Declarations (EPD)s for some time, and this move to Hydro CIRCAL extends our ability to minimise the environmental impact of our products; working alongside Hydro to enhance the entire value chain".

Hydro CIRCAL: The next generation of aluminium

Hydro CIRCAL offers of the highest recycled aluminium content currently achievable, making it a significantly more sustainable option than the traditionally produced alternative. Fully traceable and independent third party certified, it's a game-changer for the Optima product portfolio.

Hydro guarantees a minimum of 75% recycled content and uses an advanced aluminium sorting technology to make use of as much end-of-life material as possible. The so called post-consumer scrap is aluminium from demolished building projects, food and drink containers or even cars which is collected, sorted, shredded and reintroduced into circulation. This ensure no excess energy is spent in the recycling process.

The beauty of Hydro CIRCAL is its infinite reusability, positioning Optima as one of the UK's most forward-thinking manufacturers of commercial architectural glass partitioning systems.

Allan Wood, Managing Director, Optima Major Works, said: "We are constantly considering the future and our role within it, that's why we're increasingly focusing on how we manufacture and consume as a business. Designing products and processes which incorporate and embrace reusability, and the circular economy is key to how we work now and in the future. Clients, rightly, now expect this as standard, not just a nice-to-have. As a market leader, we are developing several innovations that will support our clients, and the environment, moving forward. Our use of Hydro CIRCAL is another one of these advances."

Hydro CIRCAL becomes the standard aluminium and will be introduced across the entire Optima portfolio from the 1st of November 2022.

To find out more about Optima, and its move to Hydro CIRCAL aluminium, click here.