The Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) announced yesterday the certification of Aluminerie Alouette’s operations in Sept-Îles, Quebec against its Performance Standard for responsible production of aluminium.


ASI says the plant’s smelting, casthouse, and operational activities are covered by the certification. The plant has a nameplate capacity of 600 thousand metric tons per annum, making it the biggest smelter in the Western Hemisphere.


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 certifications, which each last for three years, were audited by BNQ.


“Alouette has always subscribed to the principles of sustainable development, an integral part of its mission statement,” noted Michel Huot, President and Chief Executive Officer of Aluminerie Alouette.


Huot continued by noting that the three-year certification shows that the aluminium smelted at the plant meets the principles of sustainable development to which it has long subscribed.


The ASI is a worldwide organization dedicated to setting industrial standards and certifications in the aluminium industry. The association attempts to bring 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.