This means that Hydro’s certifications are now in principal extended to cover the entire aluminium value chain, from mine to casthouse and onward to its extrusion and rolling business areas.
“The ASI certification of Paragominas bauxite mine and Alunorte alumina refinery is an important milestone in our commitment and efforts to produce aluminium raw materials according to the highest industry standards for responsibility and sustainability, and to deliver certified products to our customers and the rest of the aluminium value-chain,” says John Thuestad, Executive Vice-President of Bauxite & Alumina in Hydro.
To achieve ASI certification an independent third-party audit must verify that the plant operates according to defined standards related to governance, policy and management, transparency and reporting, environment and biodiversity, social issues and labor rights, to mention some – and the requirements are extensive. DNV GL carried out the audits of the bauxite and alumina operations.
“We are prepared to be held accountable for the way we operate, and these certifications add obligations to our ambition to not only maximize the benefits of aluminium in use, but also to minimize the impact of producing it. We are now one notable step closer toward our goal of going to market with products and solutions that are ASI certified throughout the entire value-chain,” says John Thuestad.
Source: Hydro, Photo: Fotolia