Brembo makes 100 percent recycled-content brake calipers

Italy-based automotive supplier Brembo N.V. has produced brake calipers for one of its customers that are made with a 100 percent recycled-content aluminum alloy.

The company says using the new material cuts life cycle emissions for brake calipers by up to 70 percent without compromising design or performance.

Developing the calipers took more than five years of research and development and started with an assessment of the full production cycle of calipers so the firm could identify key areas where improvements could have the most impact.

“Aluminum’s unique ability to be infinitely recycled without any loss in quality made it a natural focus, offering significant potential to lower environmental impact,” Brembo says.

The company says its research team explored various alloys available on the global market, looking for one that could guarantee the same mechanical performance and castability as its favored alloy but with significantly lower CO₂ emissions.

Additionally, Brembo says it prioritized the identification of an alloy available in all the regions where Brembo has production plants. The firm’s global footprint includes facilities in several nations in Europe plus the United States, Brazil, Mexico, China, India, Japan and Thailand.

The company says its testing concluded an alloy made entirely from recycled aluminum was the best way to reduced emissions across the entire life cycle.

A subsequent update to the manufacturing process included a comprehensive redesign and reindustrialization effort “to ensure the new solution could be scaled globally across all Brembo plants.”

“The adoption of recycled aluminum in the production of our iconic brake calipers embodies our ongoing commitment to innovation for sustainability,” Brembo CEO Daniele Schillaci says. “This solution is designed to meet the highest standards of performance and environmental responsibility.”

From a design perspective, Brembo says the component retains all the stylistic features that have made the Italian brand distinctive, including the use of a wide range of available colors. Calipers using the new recycled alloy also will feature a new ALU trademark logo registered by the company, “visually distinguishing those made with upcycled aluminum,” according to the components manufacturer.

Brembo, founded in 1961, designs and produces braking systems and components for makers of cars, commercial vehicles, motorbikes and mountain bikes.