Ball Corporation (NYSE: BLL) has received Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) certification for all 23 of its plants in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. This makes the company the first beverage can manufacturer worldwide to fulfil all ASI principles in the areas of environmental, social and corporate governance.
The additional certification of the product chain also allows Ball to demonstrate high standards along the entire aluminium value chain. At the same time, the company has announced that it will operate all its plants within the EU, the UK and the site in Serbia exclusively with renewable energy in future. The announced switch to renewable energy will enable Ball to minimise its Significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in future. The company had previously declared its intention to switch all operational processes in North America completely to renewable energy by 2021.
Ball has the certifications „ASI Performance Standard“ and „Chain of Custody (CoC) Standard“. The former measures a company's efforts in the areas of the environment, social affairs and corporate governance. In addition to requirements for reducing greenhouse gases and emissions, the standard also covers the handling of waste products from aluminium production, water resources and biodiversity issues. Companies are also required to consider the entire life cycle and promote recycling. Other standards relate to corporate integrity and human rights, among other things.
The ASI CoC standard describes the conditions under which aluminium can receive certification along the entire value chain. In the case of Ball, it links all of the ASI Performance Standard certified activities - from bauxite mining and smelting through casting and rolling to can production and filling.
Ron Lewis, President, Ball Beverage Packaging EMEA, comments: „We are very proud to be the first beverage can manufacturer to achieve ASI certification. Low carbon, sustainable business is of key importance to us. This certification and our investments in renewable energy are further proof of this.“
ASI is a multi-stakeholder initiative with the aim of ensuring responsible extraction and production of aluminium as well as resource-conserving handling of aluminium products along the entire value chain in the aluminium sector. At a time when consumers are more Sustainability for packaged goods would like to the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative do what the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) certification has done for paper and wood - make the sustainable actions of the aluminium industry visible to the general public.
„All over the world, consumers want packaging that can be recycled again and again and is therefore truly sustainable,“ says Kathleen Pitre, Chief Commercial and Sustainability Officer, Ball Corporation. „We work very closely with our customers in the beverage industry to help them achieve their own sustainability goals, including sustainable sourcing. For us, this certification is a hugely important milestone that we are very proud of.“
„We congratulate the world's largest beverage can manufacturer on this double certification,“ adds Fiona Solomon, CEO, Aluminium Stewardship Initiative. „For customers and other stakeholders, ASI certification is independent and credible proof that companies in the aluminium industry act sustainably. Programmes such as ASI, which shed light on the entire aluminium value chain, are therefore becoming increasingly important.“
Source: Ball Packaging Europe
