• The Aluminium Stewardship Initiative is a global non-profit standards setting and certification organisation that aims to maximise the contribution of aluminium to a sustainable society.
• UAE companies making products using EGA’s metal participate in Aluminium Stewardship Initiative training at EGA Jebel Ali on how to participate in the initiative.

United Arab Emirates: Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside oil and gas, is supporting UAE companies that make products using EGA’s metal to engage with the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative.

The Aluminium Stewardship Initiative is a global, non-profit standards setting and certification organisation. Its members are mining and metal companies, end-users like Apple and Nespresso, and non-governmental organisations, and it aims to maximise the contribution of aluminium to a sustainable society.

Participating in the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative enables companies in the aluminium sector to benchmark and improve their sustainability performance. The Aluminium Stewardship Initiative Performance Standard is the aluminium industry’s only internationally-recognised standard for environmental and social performance and governance.

EGA today hosted a training session conducted by the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative on how to participate, with eight UAE downstream aluminium companies in attendance. These companies make aluminium parts that are supplied to industries from automotive to construction both locally and internationally.

Salman Abdulla, EGA’s Executive Vice President of Environment, Health, Safety, Sustainability and Quality said: “In addition to being the right thing to do for society, we expect strong sustainability performance to become increasingly a source of competitive advantage in the aluminium industry and ultimately an absolute requirement for many end-users. We encourage UAE aluminium companies to participate in the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative.”

Fiona Solomon, CEO of the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI), said: “EGA’s leadership in the Middle East on sustainability issues has been demonstrated through their early and ongoing commitment to ASI. Their support for this months’ training session enables us to collectively share the intent and benefit of the ASI program, and support local uptake through peer learning. We are delighted to partner with EGA to build further outreach in the UAE”.

EGA was the first Middle East headquartered company to apply to join the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative, in 2017.

In May, EGA’s Al Taweelah site became the first in the Middle East to be certified to the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative Performance Standard. The certification followed a rigorous independent audit process to assess EGA’s practice and performance at Al Taweelah in relation to environmental, social and governance standards, including biodiversity, human rights, transparency, community engagement, emissions and waste. The certification covers EGA’s aluminium smelting facilities at Al Taweelah, including EGA’s port, power generation, carbon plant, potlines and casthouse.