Nemak joins Aluminium Stewardship Initiative

Nemak S.A.B. de C.V., a Monterrey, Mexico-based aluminum auto components supplier, has announced it will seek certification via the Australia-based Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) performance standard.

ASI describes itself as a not-for-profit “standard-setting and certification organization for the aluminum value chain that has defined principles and criteria to address sustainability issues in the aluminum value chain through the lens of three pillars: environmental, social and governance (ESG).”

Nemak CEO Armando Tamez says, “With our ASI membership, we demonstrate our leadership in key sustainability aspects within the aluminum supply chain and reinforce our commitment to the global effort to drive positive change around sustainable mobility through collective action.”

As an ASI member, Nemak says it will be on “an accelerated path” to certification of its production facilities according to the ASI Performance Standard. The certification covers a range of ESG criteria and emphasizes increased transparency in company facilities and “along the entire value chain,” according to ASI.

“Sustainability is a top priority for Nemak, and we see joining ASI as an integral part of our strategy,” says Marc Winterhalter, Nemak’s vice president of purchasing and sustainability. “We look forward to leveraging knowledge from top experts in the aluminum industry as we continue to work toward implementing the highest sustainability standards.”

In its 2021 annual report, Nemak states, “As circularity and recycling are key measures for Nemak, it manufactures approximately 70 percent of its products from recycled aluminum.”

Last year, Nemak had global revenue of $3.8 billion, operating from 38 facilities with some 21,000 employees. In the United States, the company has manufacturing capacity in Sylacauga, Alabama; Bloomfield, Indiana; Glasgow, Kentucky; Dickson, Tennessee; and Sheboygan, Wisconsin.

In late July, ASI also announced that three Novelis facilities in North America have attained ASI Performance Standard V2 status.

The three plants—in Greensboro, Georgia; Berea, Kentucky; and Warren, Ohio—produce recycled-content ingots and sheet that are used in the production of can bodies and can ends, ASI says.

“We sincerely congratulate Novelis on achieving these three Performance Standard certifications among their North American operations,” ASI CEO Fiona Solomon says. “These plants are significant nodes in the North American beverage can market, with one of the plants recycling approximately 20 percent of the region’s used beverage cans (UBCs). We are delighted to see Novelis’ ongoing ASI certification journey continue to extend through its global operations.”

Suzanne Lindsay-Walker, Novelis vice president of sustainability, adds, “Novelis aims to achieve ASI certification in all its plants worldwide. The completion of these ASI certifications is part of our ongoing commitment to being a responsible partner to our customers and working with them to achieve their sustainability goals.”