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Recycled Alloy

Built to Last Another Lifetime.

Our enamel keyrings, magnets and hat pins are now made using recycled zinc alloy. Sourced from industrial waste, including batteries used in the automotive and telecommunications industries, it gives existing materials a new use in products made to last.

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What recycled alloy can become

The same design can become a keyring, hat pin, magnet or another product made with recycled alloy.

Keyrings

Hat Pins

Magnets

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How recycled alloy becomes something worth keeping

This change has taken more than a year of work with our factories. We wanted to make keyrings, magnets and hat pins using recycled zinc alloy while keeping the quality, detail and finish our customers expect. Here’s how the material becomes a finished product.
1

Give existing metal a new purpose

The zinc is sourced from industrial waste, including batteries used in the automotive and telecommunications industries. It’s collected and sorted so the metal can be prepared for use again.
2

Clean & prepare

The recovered metal is sorted, cleaned and prepared for production. Careful preparation helps create a consistent material ready to be transformed into detailed, durable products.
3

Melt & refine

The prepared metal is melted and refined into zinc alloy suitable for casting. It’s the step that turns recovered material into new creative possibilities, without losing the precision needed for a quality finish.
4

Cast & finish

The recycled alloy is cast into shapes such as keyrings, hat pins and magnets, then polished and finished to bring each design to life. The result is a tangible product with a material story your customers can understand and share.

For the NFY production run, 90% of the 2,700 kg of material processed was post-consumer recycled zinc alloy. Of that, 2,430 kg was independently verified under the Global Recycled Standard (GRS).

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Made for a different kind of journey

The same material can tell very different stories. Here are four custom recycled alloy designs created for client briefs, each shaped around its own purpose, place or audience.

Taronga Zoo

Sydney Harbour Bridge

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Why e3 uses recycled alloy

We spent more than a year working with our factories to make this change. Our original goal was to produce 25% of our goods using sustainable raw materials by 2026. Moving our enamel keyrings, magnets and hat pins to recycled zinc alloy is expected to bring that figure to around 70% of our range.

It’s a big step for e3, and one we’ve made while maintaining the detail and finish these products are known for.

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Have an idea for a product made with recycled alloy?

Tell us what you have in mind, and we’ll help you explore the design, format and finish.

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Recycled alloy FAQs

What is recycled zinc alloy?
It’s zinc alloy made using metal recovered from products that have already been used. The recovered metal is sorted, prepared, melted and refined before being cast into new products.

e3 uses recycled zinc alloy for products including keyrings, hat pins and magnets. It can be used for products in e3’s existing range and for suitable custom designs.

For the NFY production run, e3 processed 2,700 kg of material containing 90% post-consumer recycled zinc alloy. The 2,430 kg of recycled content was independently verified under the Global Recycled Standard (GRS). We should keep this answer specific to that run.
Yes. Tell e3 what you’re looking to create, and the team can discuss whether recycled zinc alloy is suitable for the design and finish you have in mind.
This is a valuable question, but I’d finalise the answer once the supplier confirms which end-of-life products and components feed this particular zinc alloy stream. That would let us name relatable examples accurately.