ENVIRONMENT
RUSAL joins ASI
On December 16, 2015, UC RUSAL announced it had joined the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) in order to "take part in developing global sustainability standards for international application in the aluminium value chain."
19 January, 2016
The ASI was launched in 2012 and counts some of the world's largest aluminium producers and users, along with civil society and research organizations, among its membership.
As the fruit of several years of collaboration between companies and organizations focused on the sustainable use of aluminium, the ASI seeks to develop and institute a standard for responsible stewardship of this infinitely recyclable material across the aluminium value chain.
As one of the leading low carbon aluminium producers, RUSAL is happy to contribute to the development and implementation of a standard for aluminium stewardship across the aluminium value chain. Thanks to a combination of its unique properties, such as light weight, durability and resistance to corrosion, aluminium is widely recognized as one of the most sustainable materials in use today. Development of a standard that would be an international benchmark for procurement will significantly contribute to further sustainability improvement for the whole industry, making aluminium a metal of choice of the 21st century.
The ASI, which has taken shape with the coordination of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) since 2012, came about after key players in the aluminium industry came together to examine the challenges and opportunities presented by the pursuit of sustainability. Given their key roles producing and using a material which is strong, flexible, lightweight, and entirely recyclable, these stakeholders understood aluminium and its production could be both environmentally friendly and a model for reducing emissions.
The aluminium value chain includes every step of production, from initial bauxite mining to the consumer product and back to collection and re-melting. As a result, a truly comprehensive approach to sustainability must cover every step in this process and attract the buy-in of all relevant stakeholders.
The aluminium value chain includes every step of production, from initial bauxite mining to the consumer product and back to collection and re-melting. As a result, a truly comprehensive approach to sustainability must cover every step in this process and attract the buy-in of all relevant stakeholders.
Prior to UC Rusal adhering to the ASI, major aluminium companies such as Aleris, Hydro, and Rio Tinto Alcan, as well as consumers such as the BMW Group, Audi, and Nespresso, had signed up as members. Some of these companies, like Nespresso, had been working since 2009 to put together the comprehensive review of various facets of sustainability that eventually led to the ASI. In December 2014, the ASI launched the ASI Performance Standard: Principles and Criteria (with the IUCN as coordinator). The standards cover governance, environmental concerns, and social concerns, addressing issues ranging from business integrity and transparency to greenhouse gas emissions and human rights. By 2017, the ASI expects to launch an independent certification program to ensure products have been sustainably produced.
Richard Girardot, CEO Nestlé Nespresso SA
Aluminium Stewardship Initiative
The aluminium industry is committed to maximizing the value that its products and activities generate, while minimizing their negative impacts. Working together with industry representatives of the aluminium value chain and of civil society to improve the industry's performance and make it more sustainable is a win-win for everyone. We, the companies behind the ASI Standard, expect now to bring more peers on board.
Jostein Soreide
Norsk Hydro
Even before signing up for the ASI, UC Rusal has been a global leader in reducing emissions from the aluminium production process. Taking advantage of Siberian Russia's potential for hydroelectric power, UC Rusal supplies aluminium with one of the lowest carbon footprints in the world. Emissions from the company's smelters have been more than halved since 1990, and over 90% of its aluminium production is carried out with hydropower.
Parterning with RusHydro, the Russian aluminium company test launched the Boguchanskaya hydropower plant in 2012 and reached full capacity in June 2015. Originally started in 1980 and delayed on account of funding issues, the Boguchanskoye Energy and Metals Complex (BEMO) project resumed construction in May 2006 and brings together a hydroelectric plant with an aluminium smelter that relies on the clean power it produces. At full capacity, the smelter consumes 9.8 billion kWt per hour and can produce 600,000 tons of primary aluminium per year. In addition to supporting the further economic development of Siberia and support further investment, the plant is expected to create over 10,000 new jobs.
Parterning with RusHydro, the Russian aluminium company test launched the Boguchanskaya hydropower plant in 2012 and reached full capacity in June 2015. Originally started in 1980 and delayed on account of funding issues, the Boguchanskoye Energy and Metals Complex (BEMO) project resumed construction in May 2006 and brings together a hydroelectric plant with an aluminium smelter that relies on the clean power it produces. At full capacity, the smelter consumes 9.8 billion kWt per hour and can produce 600,000 tons of primary aluminium per year. In addition to supporting the further economic development of Siberia and support further investment, the plant is expected to create over 10,000 new jobs.
BEMO, with a total cost of $2.6 billion USD, represents a major investment for both UC Rusal and RusHydro. With it complete, UC Rusal has cemented its place alongside other major aluminium producers (such as Norway's Norsk Hydro and US-based Alcoa) in prioritizing hydroelectric power to reduce emissions from the aluminium production process. With the conclusion of the Paris COP21 talks and a renewed global commitment to reducing carbon emissions, recyclable aluminium produced with carbon-neutral energy could very well become an essential building block of a cleaner future.