An installation introducing New Scientist live 2017 visitors to the ‘Real Car’ collaboration between Jaguar Landrover and Novelis — supported by Innovate UK.

Can you make exciting cars that people want to buy but also make them sustainable and environmentally friendly? This was the challenge that Jaguar Land Rover—Britain’s biggest automotive manufacturer—and Novelis—the world’s largest aluminium manufacturer—set themselves back in 2008. The aims were twofold: to reduce CO2 output in the manufacturing of metal and to create a circular economy where materials are continually reused and recycled rather than going to waste. Together, the team’s expertise helped to create a material for the future. A revised, ‘recycling-friendly’ Aluminium alloy called ‘RC5754’. It might not be a catchy name but the benefits of using RC5754 are truly remarkable. Recovering aluminium offers huge sustainability benefits, with aluminium recycling requiring up to 95% less energy than primary aluminium production. Giving all that aluminium another life has prevented more than half a million tonnes of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere. Because it’s a light material as well as a strong one, using RC5754 in JLR cars has also helped to improve fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions. Pretty incredible.

We created a bespoke aluminium structure in the shape of a car, complete with graphic wraps showing off the RC5754 Jaguar internals. Housed on this structure was a touch screen featuring an interactive overview of the journey, process’ and obstacles overcome during this extraordinary project.