Yamaha Motor becomes the pioneer in adopting Green Aluminum for motorcycles

Yamaha Motor declared that it has inked a deal with an aluminum ingot provider to procure green aluminum. In February 2023, the company started employing it as a raw material for manufacturing parts for Yamaha motorcycles in Japan.

This marks the first instance (according to their survey) of green aluminum adoption in Japanese motorcycles, and Yamaha Motor intends to progressively increase its application in future models.

So what is green aluminum? Aluminum that has been purified using renewable energy sources and emits approximately 60% less CO2 during its production compared to conventionally refined aluminum is known as “green aluminum”.

The actual reduction in emissions percentage depends on the manufacturer. For motorcycles, aluminum parts contribute between 12% to 31% of the total vehicle weight, making the adoption of green aluminum an effective strategy to minimize CO2 emissions during the raw material manufacturing phase of a product’s life cycle.

Yamaha Motor has been proactively promoting the use of recycled aluminum, which currently accounts for approximately 80% of their aluminum consumption, by leveraging their expertise in engineering and production technologies.

To complement this approach, they have introduced green aluminum for parts that cannot be produced with recycled materials. Initially, Yamaha Motor will utilize green aluminum for specific components in their high-displacement and off-road competition motorcycles. Moreover, they intend to expand the use of green aluminum in more models in the future, contingent upon the availability of supply volumes.

In accordance with the Yamaha Motor Group Environmental Plan 2050, the company is striving to achieve carbon neutrality across all its business operations, including its entire supply chain, by 2050.

To accomplish this objective, Yamaha Motor has established a target of transitioning to 100% sustainable materials by 2050. This entails adopting more plant-derived resin materials, producing recyclable polypropylene, and using green materials and other recycled materials for its motorcycles manufactured in Japan and overseas.

photos: Yamaha