The 2021 Nissan Rogue is breaking ground by using a closed-loop recycling system for aluminum parts.
The recycling system will help reduce CO2 emissions over parts made with primary alloys from raw materials, while helping to reducing waste from factories.
The Nissan Rogue is made in Kyushu, Japan and Smyrna, Tennessee.
To support the close-loop recycling system, Nissan has collaborated with Kobe Steel Ltd. and UACJ Corp. in Japan and with Arconic Corp. and Novelis Inc. in the United States.
The Rogue uses aluminum alloy for its hood and doors. The closed-loop system works with a large pneumatic conveyance system. As hoods and doors are stamped into shape, scrap material is shredded and extracted, keeping aluminum grades separate. The separation ensures that Nissan can return the high-quality scrap to its suppliers, who in turn separate and reprocess the scrap into aluminum alloy sheets and redeliver those sheets to Nissan.
According to the U.S.-based Aluminum Association, recycling scrap aluminum saves more than 90% of the energy needed to create a comparable amount from raw materials. The organization estimates that nearly 75% of all aluminum made is still in use.
The Nissan Rogue is the first, but certainly not the last, vehicle to use the system. Nissan’s Green Program 2022 aims to replace 30% of the raw materials used in vehicles built in 2022 with materials that don’t rely on newly-mined resources. To achieve this goal, Nissan will use recycled materials and develop biomaterials, carry out recycling activities both in house and at suppliers and reduce the weight of car bodies. Nissan’s Green Program was adopted as part of the company’s efforts to support the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
Nissan’s Smyrna, Tennessee plant is a $7.1 billion investment by Nissan. It makes the Nissan LEAF, Maxima, Murano, Pathfinder, Rogue and Infiniti QX60. It produces approximately 640,000 vehicles annually.
