Trade group Aluminium Stewardship Initiative announced this week the provisional certification of Alcoa’s Massena smelter, which is the longest continuously-operating aluminium facility on Earth, under its Performance Standard for sustainable aluminium production.
Alcoa’s Massena plant has been in operation since 1902 and is fueled by hydropower. The plant has a nameplate capacity of about 360 thousand metric tons per annum. The certification is provisional due to COVID-19 restrictions on travel, and the ASI will take steps to remove the provisional status once such restrictions are past.
Fiona Solomon, Chief Executive Officer at ASI congratulated Alcoa on its achievement in a related press release.
“ASI congratulates Alcoa on achieving Performance Standard Certification with Provisional status at the Massena, New York plant – one that is steeped in history, both for the aluminium sector and industrial development of the region. The plant’s hydro-based renewable energy has supported its operation for 120 years. Over that time, the facility has continued innovating to meet the challenges of a constantly changing sustainability landscape. The achievement of ASI Certification is a demonstration of this commitment.”
ASI’s Performance Standard is the product of consultations with a multitude of stakeholders throughout the aluminium value chain, which ASI asserts is the sole comprehensive voluntary sustainability standard initiative in the aluminium sector. The certifications, which each last for three years, were audited by DNV Business Assurance Services UK Ltd.
“Earning certifications from ASI aligns with our vision to reinvent the aluminum industry for a sustainable future,” explained Alcoa’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer John Slaven. “This recognition for Massena is welcome news for the facility’s 120 years of continual production and the important work that our employees do there every day to consistently improve for the benefit of our customers, communities and the environment.”
The ASI is a worldwide organization dedicated to setting industrial standards and certifications in the aluminium industry. The association brings together the various stakeholders in the aluminium industry in order to achieve objectives including sustainable production methods, material chain-of-custody procedures, recycling, social impacts related to aluminium production, and production standards.