Senior Architectural Systems publishes guide to closed-loop recovery of aluminium facade systems

Senior Architectural Systems has published a guide to recovering aluminium windows, doors and curtain wall systems at the end of their life, as part of its ongoing What You See Is What You Spec campaign.

The Circular Recovery of Architectural Aluminium Systems Guide sets out the Doncaster manufacturer's closed-loop recycling offer and a framework for traceable recovery of its systems on refurbishment, replacement and demolition projects, the company said.

It is aimed at architects, contractors, asset owners and sustainability professionals. According to Senior, it covers the recovery and segregation of aluminium during works and explains how project teams can use the Council for Aluminium in Building (CAB) Closed Loop Recycling Scheme to recover material, trace it and gather evidence towards sustainability targets, including BREEAM.

Luke Osborne, UK Sustainability Lead for Senior Architectural Systems, said: "Our new guide has been developed to give customers the clarity and practical support they need to plan for material recovery, improve traceability and make more informed decisions about end-of-life aluminium systems."

Senior said the guide also shows how material recovery can support Scope 3 decarbonisation through higher recycled content and lower demand for primary aluminium. It is designed to be read alongside the company's Operation and Maintenance manuals and its product-specific Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs).

The campaign so far

In July 2026 Senior described What You See Is What You Spec as a call on the fenestration industry for more transparent environmental reporting, backed by a suite of product-specific EPDs for its aluminium doors, windows and curtain wall systems.

Those EPDs account for the extrusion process but leave out glazing, which Senior said should be reported separately. The company published a billet carbon figure of 3.5 kg CO2e/kg for its standard ReAl 4.0 aluminium, and 1.61 kg CO2e/kg for its lower-carbon ReAl 2.0, rising to 2.36 kg CO2e/kg for mill finish profiles once extrusion is included.

Osborne said in July: "I firmly believe that EPDs should be open to interrogation, audit, and robust scrutiny." Senior said at the time that many public sector projects now engage carbon auditors to check low-carbon claims.

The CAB scheme

CAB says its Closed Loop Recycling Scheme aims to increase closed-loop recycling by encouraging scrap to be collected and sorted into specific wrought alloy groups. It is open to CAB members as part of their membership, and members submit monthly data returns that the trade body collects in confidence.

CAB lists Senior Architectural Systems as a Founder Member of the scheme in its Systems Company category.

The trade body reported 3,300 tonnes of aluminium recycling from the pilot project in 2019, rising to 6,000 tonnes by 2022.

Year	Aluminium recycling reported to CAB scheme
2019	3,300 tonnes
2022	6,000 tonnes

The company

Senior was established in 1991 and marked its 35th anniversary in July 2026. It operates from its headquarters at Eland Road, Denaby Main, Doncaster, where it has upgraded its in-house powder coating facility, and has opened a Thermal Improvement Centre in Rotherham.

ASSA ABLOY acquired the business in March 2025. At the time, ASSA ABLOY said Senior had about 150 employees and 2024 sales of about £50m. Senior's current company page lists 167 employees.

Mark Wadsworth, named as managing director in Senior's August 2026 leadership announcement, said the company's national supply chain allows it to deliver its systems across the UK. "With a heritage shaped by decades of collaboration and strengthened further through our links with ASSA ABLOY, we remain focused, as we always have, on how we can better support our customers," he said.

In August 2026 Senior appointed Sonny Burrows as managing director designate to work alongside Wadsworth during a transition period.