The Business Bytes
TBB BUREAU
NEW DELHI, APR 27, 2023
Vedanta Aluminium, the largest producer of primary aluminium in India, has achieved ASI Performance Standard V2 (2017) Certification at its SEZ Smelter for manufacturing and supply of all primary aluminium product in the form of billets, wire rod, primary foundry alloys (PFA), ingot and sow ingot, as well as its ‘Restora’ brand of low-carbon aluminium products.
Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) on Thursday announced that Vedanta Aluminium has been certified against the ASI Performance Standard at its smelter and captive power plant located within the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) at Jharsuguda in Odisha.
The ASI Certification program was developed through an extensive multi-stakeholder consultation process; and is the only comprehensive voluntary sustainability standard initiative for the aluminium value chain.
The ASI Performance Standard V2 (2017) defines environmental, social and governance principles and criteria, with the aim to address sustainability issues in the aluminium value chain. It sets out 59 criteria under the three sustainability pillars of Environment, Social, and Governance, which address key issues such as biodiversity, labour rights, Indigenous Peoples rights, and greenhouse gas emissions.
The independent, third-party audits of Vedanta Aluminium’s SEZ Smelting facility was carried out by CETIZION Verifica.
“We congratulate Vedanta Aluminium for achieving ASI Performance Standard (V2) Certification at its smelting facility in Jharsuguda, Odisha, India. The company is taking steps to decarbonise, including through increased renewable energy consumption, reclaiming aluminium from dross, and other plant-level initiatives. Its Performance Standard certification shows that Vedanta Aluminium is also addressing broader ESG topics,” said Fiona Solomon, Chief Executive Officer, ASI.
Speaking about Vedanta Aluminium’s Jharsuguda smelter being ASI certified, Vedanta Limited – Aluminium Business CEO Rahul Sharma said, “Vedanta Aluminium is pleased to join the ASI members list and be certified against the ASI Performance Standard. This stands testimony to our unwavering commitment to cater to our customers’ needs through sustainable and responsible production practices. Being one of the world’s leading aluminium producers, this bolsters our conviction for exploring the limitless potential of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow.”
“Aluminium is a dynamic and rapidly evolving industry with potential for greater applications in a sustainability-conscious world. Aluminium’s unique properties make it a crucial metal in the world’s energy transition as the backbone of a low-carbon future,” he added.
ASI was formed as a multi-stakeholder initiative to drive a global, sector-wide transformation for aluminium.
ASI’s Standards apply throughout the supply chain, from bauxite mining through to downstream sectors that use aluminium in their products. All current ASI members in the ‘Production and Transformation’ and ‘Industrial Users’ classes work towards their ASI certifications within two years of joining ASI.
ASI’s custom-built online assurance platform, elementAL, underpins the entire certification workflow for both the ASI Performance Standard and Chain of Custody Standard. ASI members seeking Certification and ASI Accredited Auditors use elementAL to manage self-assessments, audit planning, documentation of evidence and findings from site audits, and reporting. The ASI Secretariat also carries out oversight of submitted audit reports through elementAL, to ensure conformity with ASI’s assurance procedures, before Certifications are issued.
Full ASI certification is valid for three years, usually with a surveillance audit at approximately 18 months. Provisional Certification is valid for 1 year, with a surveillance audit at approximately 6 months.
