Alcoa Releases 2009 Sustainability Report, Outlines New Environmental Goals
NEW YORK--Alcoa today published its 2009 Sustainability Report, the 8th consecutive year the company has reported its financial, environmental and social impact results. The 2009 report outlines the Company’s progress on the sustainability of its products, resources and operations.
“Since 1993 we have set goals and publicly reported on our progress, and in 2003 we published our first sustainability report. For our 2009 report, we organized around a cradle-to-cradle theme, looking at our Company from the resources we use, to production, use and reuse of our products.”
“We have long valued transparency in our company,�?? said William J. O’Rourke, Alcoa vice president for sustainability & environment, health & safety. “Since 1993 we have set goals and publicly reported on our progress, and in 2003 we published our first sustainability report. For our 2009 report, we organized around a cradle-to-cradle theme, looking at our Company from the resources we use, to production, use and reuse of our products.�??
The 2009 report examines the sustainability of Alcoa’s products, including product design, life cycle awareness and economic value. In addition, the report reviews sustainability of operations – a look at health and safety, climate change and financial performance -- and sustainability of resources, which includes, among other things, land management, biodiversity and purchasing standards.
“This new report reflects our efforts in 2009 to further integrate sustainability into our core business strategies during a challenging business environment,�?? said O’Rourke.
The report includes a new set of strategic performance goals, indexed to production to give a better picture of progress over time, unaffected by variations due to either growth or curtailment.
The new goals, from a 2005 baseline, include:
- Reducing total carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) intensity by 20 percent by 2020 and 30 percent by 2030.
- A 10 percent reduction in the energy intensity of primary operations by 2020; 15 percent by 2030.
- A 20 percent reduction in the energy intensity of all other businesses by 2020; 30 percent by 2030.
- A 10 percent reduction in average fresh water-use intensity by 2020; 25 percent by 2030.
Significant achievements in the report include:
- 74 percent of Alcoa locations worldwide reported zero lost work day incidents and 41 percent reported zero recordable injuries.
- Continued reductions in absolute greenhouse gas emissions in 2009, achieving a 44% reduction from 1990 levels. This compares to a reduction of 36% through the end of 2008, although a considerable portion of the 2009 improvement was due to production curtailments. Process improvements in the Global Primary Products group reduced direct GHG emissions by more than 1 million tons over 2008.
- Performed life cycle assessments of aluminum-containing products, including computer laptops, automotive space frames, truck/trailers, city buses, and aluminum bottles and conducted third-party, peer-reviewed life cycle assessments of aluminum beverage containers and automotive parts in association with the European Aluminium Association, U.S. Aluminum Association, and International Aluminium Institute.
- About 90 percent of our worldwide operating locations now have community programs, and Alcoa and Alcoa Foundation invested more than $34 million in the communities in which we operate worldwide;
The full report is available online at www.alcoa.com/sustainability.
About Alcoa
Alcoa is the world’s leading producer of primary aluminum, fabricated aluminum and alumina. In addition to inventing the modern-day aluminum industry, Alcoa innovation has been behind major milestones in the aerospace, automotive, packaging, building and construction, commercial transportation, consumer electronics and industrial markets over the past 120 years. Among the solutions Alcoa markets are flat-rolled products, hard alloy extrusions, and forgings, as well as Alcoa® wheels, fastening systems, precision and investment castings, and building systems in addition to its expertise in other light metals such as titanium and nickel-based super alloys. Sustainability is an integral part of Alcoa’s operating practices and the product design and engineering it provides to customers. Alcoa has been a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for eight consecutive years and approximately 75 percent of all of the aluminum ever produced since 1888 is still in active use today. Alcoa employs approximately 59,000 people in 31 countries across the world. More information can be found at www.alcoa.com.