Hydro brings Michigan‑made, high‑recycled aluminum to General Motors EV with Hydro CIRCAL

From the Motor City to Cassopolis, Hydro (Cassopolis), Shape Corp. (Grand Haven) and GM (Detroit) are combining local craftsmanship with circular materials for the next era of electric mobility, keeping American scrap in the U.S. value chain, remaking it into high‑quality aluminum in Michigan, and putting it back on the road in a Cadillac EV.

This collaboration marks one of the first U.S. implementations of Hydro CIRCAL in a structural, safety‑critical automotive application.

“Michigan built the automotive age. Now it’s building what comes next. This is circularity in action, and we're doing it with materials we already have in the United States. By sourcing recycled aluminum locally and making it in Michigan, GM strengthens U.S. production and supply chain resilience, reduces reliance on foreign materials, and advances practical circularity - ensuring old aluminum is reborn as safety‑critical structures for the next generation of vehicles," says Duncan Pitchford, Vice President Recycling, Hydro Aluminum Metal.

Recycled and made in Michigan

Hydro will supply Hydro CIRCAL from its U.S. recycling facility in Cassopolis, Michigan. Shape Corp. will engineer and assemble the front bumper system to GM specifications, with integration into the Cadillac OPTIQ platform. 

Hydro CIRCAL uses aluminum recovered from end‑of‑life products such as old vehicles, windows, doors and electrical cables which is then remelted at Hydro’s U.S. recycling operations. 

Hydro CIRCAL is externally verified by DNV and ensures at least 75 percent post-consumer scrap in each batch, providing traceability in support of OEM sustainability reporting. 

The product offers a market‑leading carbon footprint of just 1.5 kg CO₂e/kg aluminum, or less, while meeting demanding automotive specifications for strength, energy absorption, corrosion resistance, and formability.

The low carbon footprint means Hydro CIRCAL delivers an estimated 70 percent reduction in CO₂ emissions compared to the North American average for primary aluminum production.

How the component is used

The front bumper beam is a structural crash‑management part located at the front of the vehicle, behind the visible bumper cover. It absorbs and distributes impact energy in collisions to help protect passengers, pedestrians and critical EV systems, an application where material choice is essential.

Using Hydro CIRCAL in this part demonstrates that aluminum with high post‑consumer recycled content can meet demanding performance needs while helping lower embedded carbon footprint.