ASI aluminum industry performance standard certification promotes sustainable development of the alu

The Aluminum Stewardship Initiative (ASI) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the development and certification of aluminum value chain standards. The center of the ASI certification program is to provide review of two voluntary standards: ASI performance standards and ASI chain of custody standards.

Among them, the ASI performance standards clarify the principles and guidelines of environmental, social, and corporate governance in the aluminum value chain, with the aim of addressing sustainable development issues in the aluminum industry. Members of ASI in the categories of "production and conversion processing" and "industrial users" are required to have at least one facility certified to ASI performance standards within two years of joining ASI.

ASI performance standards require public disclosure

Several standards that run through ASI performance standards require entities to publicly disclose information about implemented management systems and entity performance.

There are different forms of public disclosure, which can be made public through the ASI official website (applicable to large companies), or through documents or a series of documents that are easily understood by certain audiences, or provided upon request (limited to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)).

It is recommended that large enterprises follow the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) or similar reporting guidelines.

For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), simply provide information in the form of memos or emails, or on the company website, without the need for printed publications.

The frequency of performance reports should be relevant to the enterprise.

Large enterprises should prepare and issue annual reports

Small and medium-sized enterprises may reduce the frequency of updating disclosed information based ontheir business size and impact, and should be commensurate with their business size and impact.

For entities with multiple locations, overall public disclosure may be made, but auditors will be allowed to access and obtain relevant data for each facility to determine the compliance of all facilities within the certification scope.

Unless otherwise specified in the standard, the audit frequency of management system documents (policies, management plans, etc.) in this standard should be:

At least every five years.

Any changes to the enterprise alter the risks associated with relevant measures and means.

Control any signs of defects, that is, when control does not exist, it cannot effectively mitigate risks or operate effectively.

Certification Steps for ASI Aluminum Performance Standards

The performance standards of ASI are the standards used by ASI accredited auditors to verify whether an entity meets the conditions for granting ASI certification. The scope of entity authentication is determined by the entity applying for authentication. The certification steps for ASI Aluminum's performance standards are:

1. The entity is preparing for certification and requires certification audits to be conducted by ASI accredited auditors.

2. During the certification audit, auditors verify whether the entity has a system that meets performance standards. If there are any areas that do not meet the standards, they will be pointed out and the entity will be required to resolve these issues.

3. According to the audit report, ASI can issue certification with a validity period of 3 years. ASI shall supervise the completeness and clarity of all audit reports and follow up with auditors on necessary issues before issuing certificates.

4. Based on the overall maturity rating and certification type of each entity (such as full certification or temporary certification), supervised audits can be conducted on certified entities within 12 to 24 months to verify whether the system is still operating effectively.

5. Before conducting supervisory audits, any corrective actions required for minor non conformities identified during certification audits have been initiated at least.

6. After a three-year certification period, a re certification audit is required to extend the certification, and then a supervisory audit is conducted again within 12 to 24 months based on the overall maturity level of the entity.