Tag Archives: Tolga Egrilmezer

Rio Tinto and Marubeni agree inaugural Responsible Aluminium sale

Base metals, Mining industry recognition, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , , , ,

Rio Tinto and Japan-based trader and business conglomerate, Marubeni Corporation, have agreed a first sale under a new strategic collaboration agreement to secure a sustainable and reliable supply of Rio Tinto’s Responsible Aluminium products to Japanese downstream manufacturers.

The first sale is a batch of Rio Tinto’s RenewAl™ high purity aluminium, from the renewably-powered New Zealand Aluminium Smelters (NZAS), to a major Japanese motorcycle manufacturer committed to reducing carbon emissions throughout its supply chains and manufacturing process.

The agreement, the first of its kind in Japan and the Asia-Pacific region, is focused on providing the downstream industry with a simple, integrated way to achieve ESG-related goals and requirements, such as reducing carbon footprints, disclosing lifecycle assessment (LCA) and sourcing responsibly. It will also provide strong long-term security of supply at a time of growing supply-chain risks, according to Rio Tinto.

It combines Rio Tinto’s suite of Responsible Aluminium products – which include RenewAl, the industry’s first certified low carbon aluminium, Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) certified aluminium, and the digital traceability platform START – with Marubeni’s extensive trading network, commercial capability and carbon credit mechanism, Neutr-Al™, which will be offered as part of the collaboration.

Tolga Egrilmezer, Rio Tinto Head of Sales & Marketing, said: “We are excited to be a part of the first producer-trading house marketing partnership focused on delivering sustainability throughout the aluminium supply chain.

“Consumers want to know more about the products they buy and be assured that they have been produced responsibly and sustainably. By working with partners like Marubeni, we can help our downstream customers in the aluminium value chain meet this growing consumer demand, while at the same time advancing our commitment to decarbonise our product value chains.”

Marubeni Chief Operating Officer, Metals & Mineral Resources Division, Daisuke Tsuchiya, said: “Marubeni’s Mid-Term Management Strategy GC 2024 positions green strategy as a fundamental platform to enhance corporate value. Aluminium-related business is an area of focus within this green strategy to enable a transition to a decarbonised society. Through this collaboration, Marubeni will contribute to creating a decarbonised society by supplying responsible aluminium, produced by Rio Tinto, to various customers through Marubeni’s interface, which has been built up over through the company’s many years of aluminium trading.”

Rio Tinto increases ‘responsibly produced aluminium’ drive

Base metals, Environmental, Mine operation news, Mining industry recognition, Steel and iron ore, Sustainable mining, , , , , , ,

Rio Tinto says it is now offering independently certified “responsibly produced aluminium” from all of its Canada operations, with the extension of the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative’s (ASI) Chain of Custody certification to include the BC Works smelter and Kemano Power Operations in Kitimat, British Columbia.

The certification reinforces Rio Tinto’s commitment to responsible mining and metals production by providing independent verification that material can be traced through a ‘chain of custody’ spanning Rio Tinto’s Gove bauxite mine, in Australia, to its alumina refinery, aluminium smelters and casthouses in Quebec and British Columbia, Canada, it said.

Rio explained: “ASI certification means customers can be assured the aluminium purchased through Rio Tinto’s Canadian operations has been produced to the highest environmental, social and governance standards. Rio Tinto has led the establishment of responsible production certification for the aluminium industry as a founding member of the ASI, working alongside customers and a broad range of stakeholders.”

In 2018, Rio Tinto was the first company to receive the ASI’s first Performance Standard certification – the highest internationally recognised standard for robust environmental, social and governance practices – and Chain of Custody certification, covering five aluminium smelters, the Vaudreuil refinery, casting centres, port and railway facilities in Quebec, Canada. The BC Works smelter and Kemano Power Operations received certification against the Performance Standard in January 2019 and have now been included in the Chain of Custody certification. Rio Tinto is now working with the ASI on audits and certifications for other sites in its global aluminium business.

Rio Tinto Aluminium Vice President Sales and Marketing and ASI Board member, Tolga Egrilmezer, said: “This certification continues Rio Tinto’s leadership on responsible production. It increases the availability of ASI certified aluminium in a range of markets, giving customers the ability to offer end consumers products made with aluminium that meets the highest sustainability standards.”

ASI chief executive officer, Fiona Solomon, said: “This successful Chain of Custody certification demonstrates ASI’s potential to create impact through voluntary uptake of its program. We are seeing the positive upstream examples like this one now extending into downstream aluminium use sectors such as automotive, construction and packaging, and this is very encouraging.”

The ASI is a global, multi-stakeholder, non-profit standards setting and certification organisation. It works toward responsible production, sourcing and stewardship of aluminium following an entire value chain approach. ASI launched its Performance Standard and Chain of Custody Standard in December 2017. ASI’s 60+ members include leading civil society organisations, companies with activities in bauxite mining, alumina refining, aluminium smelting, semi-fabrication, product and component manufacturing, as well as consumer and commercial goods, including the automotive industry, construction and packaging, as well as industry associations and other supporters.