Yamaha to switch DiASil cylinders to recycled aluminum, targeting 47,000 tons of CO2 savings a year by 2030
Yamaha Motor will progressively replace virgin aluminum with recycled aluminum alloy in its DiASil cylinders, starting with commuter models built in Indonesia.
- 47,000 tons
- 2030
- 2002
- 2050
What Happened
Yamaha Motor announced it will progressively switch the raw material used for its proprietary all-aluminum DiASil Cylinder from conventional virgin aluminum to recycled aluminum alloy. Once the switch is complete for all products using DiASil Cylinders — scheduled for 2030 — the company estimates it will reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 47,000 tons annually. DiASil Cylinders are used in a variety of Yamaha motorcycle and scooter models. The change begins with commuter models produced in Indonesia, with a global rollout planned in the future.
47,000tons per year
Yamaha's estimate once the switch to recycled aluminum alloy is completed for all products using DiASil Cylinders, scheduled for 2030.
Until now Yamaha used virgin aluminum alloy because conventional recycled materials contain trace amounts of impurities, making it difficult to meet the quality standards DiASil Cylinders require for metal microstructure, surface properties, corrosion resistance and other characteristics. Yamaha therefore began developing a recycled aluminum alloy with traits comparable to virgin aluminum that could be used to make parts with the same production processes. Based on material design using thermodynamic calculations, it conducted repeated bench tests and vehicle evaluations, and confirmed the recycled alloy met all functional requirements, leading to the decision to put it into practical use.
Yamaha Motor becomes the first company in the world to successfully develop and deploy the proprietary all-aluminum DiASil Cylinder.
Yamaha announces it will progressively switch DiASil Cylinder raw material to recycled aluminum alloy, starting with commuter models produced in Indonesia.
Target for completing the switch for all products using DiASil Cylinders, and for switching 100% of the aluminum raw materials used in Yamaha's own manufacturing to sustainable alternatives.
Target for carbon neutrality throughout the entire supply chain under the Yamaha Motor Group Environmental Plan 2050.
- All-aluminum design that requires neither an iron sleeve nor plating
- Excellent wear resistance, seizure resistance and heat dissipation
- Reduced weight
- Improved recyclability
- Lower manufacturing costs
- The switch to DiASil Cylinders using recycled aluminum alloy begins with commuter models produced in Indonesia, with a global rollout planned
- Switch 100% of the aluminum raw materials used in Yamaha's own manufacturing to sustainable alternatives by 2030
- The 100% aluminum target applies to major production bases in Japan and overseas
- Carbon neutrality throughout the entire supply chain, including Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, by 2050
Why this matters
Recycled aluminum is normally too impure for high-performance engine parts, so Yamaha says it has developed an alloy that matches virgin material. If the switch is completed as planned, the company estimates it would avoid about 47,000 tons of CO2 emissions a year, affecting the motorcycles and scooters that use these cylinders and the aluminum supply chain behind them.
Terms in This Story
- DiASil Cylinder
- An all-aluminum engine cylinder design that uses neither an iron sleeve nor plating.
- Virgin aluminum alloy
- Aluminum produced from newly mined raw material rather than from recycled scrap.
- Carbon neutrality
- A state in which the greenhouse gases released balance out to net zero, for example by cutting emissions.
- Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions
- A common way of splitting emissions into direct emissions from a company's own operations (Scope 1), emissions from purchased energy (Scope 2), and emissions elsewhere in the value chain (Scope 3).
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.