The system developed in collaboration with Kobe Steel and UACJ Corp. helps reduce CO2 emissions compared with using parts made with primary alloys from raw materials. It also promotes the use of materials that don’t rely on newly mined resources, as well as the reduction of waste from factories.

The hood and doors of the 2021 X-Trail are stamped from aluminum alloy, a material that reduces vehicle weight and helps improve fuel efficiency and performance.

At the core of the closed-loop recycling system is 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 high-quality scrap to suppliers. The suppliers turn the separated and reprocessed aluminum scrap into aluminum alloy sheets and re-deliver them to Nissan for use in production.

This can save more than 90 percent of the energy needed to create a comparable amount from raw materials. The organization estimates that nearly 75 percent of all aluminum made is still in use.

This closed-loop recycling system for the X-Trail is all part of the Nissan Green Program 2022. With this, Nissan aims to replace 30 percent of the raw materials used in cars built with materials that don’t rely on newly mined resources.

To achieve this, the company will use recycled materials and develop biomaterials, carry out recycling activities both at suppliers and in-house, and seek to reduce the weight of car bodies.