United Arab Emirates, 16 August 2021: Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside oil and gas, today announced that its Jebel Ali smelter has received certification from the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative for its strong environmental and social performance, and governance—together known as ESG.

EGA was the first Middle East-headquartered company to join ASI in 2017 and, in 2019, also became the first Middle East company to achieve an ASI certification for its Al Taweelah smelter. Since then, the company has continued to improve its ESG performance while also hosting training sessions to encourage UAE companies who make products using EGA’s metal to engage with ASI.

An international standards-setting and ESG certification non-profit organisation, ASI is the leading global authority on ESG performance for the aluminium industry. Its members are mining and metal companies, end-users like Apple and Nespresso, and non-governmental organisations, who together work to maximise aluminium’s contribution to a sustainable society.

EGA Chief Executive Officer, Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, said: “We are proud to again receive ASI’s esteemed stamp of approval with the certification of our Jebel Ali smelter. This ASI certification is a direct consequence of EGA’s steadfast commitment to improving our ESG performance and the overall sustainability of our business to ensure resilience into the future, in line with the goals set forth but our nation’s leaders.

“At EGA, we believe it is not enough to produce the metal that makes modern life possible and is integral to building a more sustainable future. It also matters how responsibly and sustainably our aluminium metal is made. Strong ESG performance is, first and foremost, good and necessary for our world, for the societies in which we operate, and for our people,” added Bin Kalban.

Fiona Solomon, Chief Executive Officer at ASI said, “We warmly congratulate EGA on achieving this certification for their Jebel Ali operations. Having already certified its Al Taweelah smelting operations in 2019, the first in the Gulf region to do so, both of the company’s smelting operations are now ASI Performance Standard certified. Their ongoing commitment to ASI Certification further underscores the company’s strong commitment to sustainability principles more broadly.”

This latest ASI certification was awarded following a rigorous independent audit of EGA’s practice and ESG performance at Jebel Ali. The audit considered a wide variety of factors both directly and tangentially related to the company’s Jebel Ali operations, including their impact on biodiversity, human rights, transparency, community engagement, emissions and waste management.