Hydro recertifies to ASI sustainability standards

The Hydro Extrusions business unit of Norway-based Norsk Hydro AsA says the renewal of its Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) Performance Standard certification has been finalized and is now valid through May 2025. The recertification covers 47 sites, which Hydro calls “tops among extrusion companies worldwide.”

In addition, Hydro says, more than two-thirds of those sites have also achieved ASI Chain of Custody (CoC) certification.

Australia-based ASI says its Performance Standard “recognizes the responsible production, sourcing and stewardship of aluminum.” The Chain of Custody (CoC) Standard sets out requirements for the creation of a chain of custody for CoC material, including ASI Aluminum.

It means not only sites and their practices are certified, but the physical metal these sites process also is certified, when obtained from ASI-certified sources.

“ASI certification strengthens our competitive position in a marketplace where the demand for greener aluminum is growing fast,” says Paul Warton, an executive vice president who heads Hydro Extrusions. “Developing state-of-the-art sustainable products is a key part of our positioning just as it is for the positioning of our customers.”

The 47 ASI-certified sites in Hydro Extrusions are located in Asia, Europe and South America. Next up is the business area’s manufacturing plant in Taicang, China, which has completed its certification audit.

Hydro Extrusions plants in Canada, Mexico and the United States are in the early stages of their preparation for ASI certification, according to Jean-Marc Moulin, who is leading the work for the business area as its director of sustainability. “Our ambition is to have all of our sites ASI-certified,” says Moulin.

Hydro Extrusions has some 100 production sites in 40 countries and employs 21,000 people globally.

In addition to the extrusion sites, some Hydro operations in its Aluminum Metal and Bauxite & Alumina business areas also are certified according to ASI’s two standards.

The Aluminium Metal certifications cover smelting, casthouse activities and recycling at Hydro’s fully owned sites and the joint venture Albras plant in Brazil.

Hydro’s Paragominas bauxite mine and Alunorte alumina refinery in Brazil also are ASI-certified. Alunorte is the world’s largest alumina refinery outside of China, according to Hydro.