The Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) said last week it has certified ALRO’s operations in Slatina, Romania, under its Performance Standard V3. ALRO is the first recipient of certification under the third version of the ASI Performance Standard.
The new certification at ALRO covers a wide swath of the Slatina plat’s activities, including alumina refining, aluminium smelting, production of aluminium alloy slabs, billets, wire rod, plates and sheets obtained by casting, hot rolling, homogenization, heat treatment, mechanical processing, finishing, and testing.
Currently the Slatina plant churns out 265 thousand metric tons per year of electrolytic aluminium, 47 thousand metric tons per year of secondary aluminium, and 332 thousand metric tons per year of primary cast aluminium products. The plant also produces 90 thousand metric tons per annum of rolled aluminium, which is expected to rise upon completion of an expansion project that is currently underway.
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 standard defines 59 criteria categorized in three sustainability pillars that cover several issues, including biodiversity, Indigenous Peoples rights, and greenhouse gas emissions. Third-party audit of the certification was conducted by DQS CFS.
Fiona Solomon, Chief Executive Officer at ASI said in a press release that this certification is a significant milestone for the firm.
“We warmly congratulate ALRO on achieving ASI Performance Standard V3 (2022), the first against the updated Standard for a facility in Europe. Achieving ASI Certification is an important commitment for a vertically integrated operation, as additional Standard criteria are applicable to specific supply chain activities. This, coupled with the broader and more stringent criteria included in the updated Performance Standard V3, makes ALRO’s certification a milestone achievement.”
Marian NĂSTASE, Chairman of the Board of Directors of ALRO, said the certification is proof of his company’s commitment to sustainability.
“This prestigious certification from ASI confirms our sustainability progress over the past years. Our focus on sustainable business practices started more than 20 years ago when we invested massively in state-of-the-art equipment and energy efficiency to improve our operations. Starting in 2017, we have been reporting our sustainability performance voluntarily through a Consolidated Sustainability Report. Moreover, in 2021 we published a Sustainability Strategy for 2021-2025. Several awards recognized our progress as our Sustainability Report is considered one of the best on the Romanian Capital Market.”
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.
