Alcoa and the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) announced earlier this week the certification of almost a dozen of the pioneering aluminium firm’s operations throughout the world against the ASI’s standards, paving the way for Alcoa to offer ASI-certified aluminium to its customers.
The certifications cover 11 plants on four continents, including operations in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Norway, and Spain. Ten of those plants are now covered under the ASI Chain of Custody Standard, while another Alcoa aluminium smelting plant in Mosjøen is now covered by the ASI Performance Standard Certification.
Alcoa President and Chief Executive Officer Roy Harvey noted the certification’s alignment with his company’s continuing push to offer sustainable aluminium.
“The certifications to the ASI Performance and Chain of Custody standards will offer our customers additional assurance of our commitment to responsible and sustainable production while complementing our existing Sustana line of aluminum products. Today’s announcement aligns with our strategic priority to advance sustainably and it serves as another reinforcement of our strong reputation and industry leadership.”
Included in Alcoa’s Sustana line of aluminium products are varieties that emit 75-percent less carbon dioxide than the industry standard as well as an offering that is guaranteed to consist of at least 50 percent recycled aluminium content.
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 GL.
ASI’s Chief Executive Officer Fiona Solomon lauded Alcoa for its longstanding participation in the Initiative and for promoting sustainability in the aluminium sector.
“Alcoa is one of the founding members of ASI, and has played an active role in supporting ASI’s goal of responsible aluminium production. Alcoa’s work to earn Chain of Custody Certification from bauxite mining through to smelting and casthouse operations gives a further boost to the potential global production of responsibly produced ASI Aluminium.”
The ASI is a worldwide organization dedicated to setting industrial standards and certifications in the aluminium industry. The association attempts to bring 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.