ASI recently introduced global standards for sustainable aluminium production

The Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI), in collaboration with Ball Corporation and other aluminum industry leaders, recently introduced new, comprehensive criteria for a global standard for sustainable aluminum production that will further improve environmental, social and governance performance throughout the entire aluminum value chain.

In Ball's 2014 sustainability report, the company announced its goal to work with ASI and support the development of a global standard that promotes sustainable practices by the end of 2015. To accomplish this goal, Ball and other industry leaders worked with upstream partners, including Constellium, Hydro, Novelis and Rio Tinto Alcan, and alongside 15 nongovernmental organizations throughout 2014 to define sustainability issues relevant to the aluminum value chain.

The resulting ASI Performance Standard addresses issues relevant to the production and sourcing of aluminum – from extraction of bauxite to the producers of commercial and consumer goods and the recycling of pre- and post-consumer aluminum scrap. The Standard focuses on 11 key sustainability aspects: business integrity; policy and management; transparency; material stewardship; greenhouse gas emissions; water; emissions, effluents and waste; biodiversity; human rights; labor rights; and occupational health and safety.

"The development of a global standard that encourages responsible sourcing throughout the aluminum supply chain is a significant step in the right direction for the aluminum industry and for Ball as we continually work to drive operational excellence, reduce our environmental impacts and drive social progress," said Bjoern Kulmann, Ball's director of sustainability.

The ASI Performance Standard will be implemented through a third-party certification system. It is expected that certification of compliance can apply at both the company level and the product level. Several end-users have indicated their intent to buy certified aluminum as soon as it is available.

"The aluminum industry is committed to maximizing the value that its products and activities generate, while minimizing their impacts. Working together with industry representatives of the aluminum value chain and of civil society to improve the industry's performance and make it more sustainable is a win-win for everyone," said Jostein Soreide, manager sustainability and LCA of Hydro, and co-chair of the ASI Standard Setting Group. "We, the companies behind the ASI Standard, expect now to bring more peers on board."

For maximum transparency, the ASI Performance Standard will enable players in the aluminum industry to provide independent, credible and verifiable information regarding their environmental, social and governance performance. This will enable the identification of suppliers and materials based on their sustainability performance.

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