Rio Tinto’s BC Works smelter and Kemano Power Operations in British Columbia, Canada, have been certified by the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) for meeting the highest internationally recognized standards for environmental, social and governance practices.
“We are committed to leading the industry by meeting the highest international production standards and having ASI Certified Aluminium available to our customers globally, to respond to the increasing demand from end consumers for responsibly sourced products,” said Rio Tinto Aluminium chief executive Alf Barrios. “This is an essential step to unlock the full potential of aluminium as a key material in our modern world and grow its use in everything from phones to cars and buildings.”
All of Rio Tinto’s aluminium operations in Canada are now ASI certified.
The certifications extend Rio Tinto’s leadership position as the only company currently able to sell ASI Certified Aluminium, through a ‘chain of custody’ spanning the Gove bauxite mine in Australia to its alumina refinery, aluminium smelters and casthouses in Quebec.
“We applaud Rio Tinto for their continued leadership of the industry on responsible production, as a founding member of the ASI and through bringing certified aluminium to the market.” said ASI chief executive officer Fiona Solomon. “We look forward to this positive example extending widely with voluntary pickup into downstream aluminium use sectors such as automotive, construction and packaging.”
Nespresso recently announced it will become the first company to use Rio Tinto’s responsibly-sourced ASI Certified Aluminium to produce its coffee capsules. Rio Tinto is working towards being able to offer ASI Certified Aluminium to existing and new customers in all markets globally.
“The ASI standards are now starting to be embraced along the value chain, with end users like Audi becoming certified,” said Rio Tinto vice president sales and marketing and ASI board member Tolga Egrilmezer. “Rio Tinto will be working closely with customers as the pioneer in this space to meet their needs for responsibly produced aluminium.”
Print this page
