Brussels - The European Aluminium Association (EAA) has officially launched the results of its groundbreaking exercise on sustainable development indicators. This marks an important step in the commitment made by the entire aluminium sector to behave as responsible economic players, while providing employment and minimizing environmental effects. The representatives of the European Union who participated at the event, Liliana Brykman - Head of Unit for Non-Ferrous Metals at the European Commission and Yvo de Boer - Director for International Environmental Affairs of the Dutch Environment Ministry - recognised this sustainability exercise as a pioneering and invaluable effort. The EAA, through the Aluminium for Future Generations programme - its unwavering pledge to progress through dialogue - will further work on its commitment towards sustainable progress and intends to deliver the next sustainability report in 2006, thus ensuring a dynamic and continuous benchmark for the whole aluminium sector in Europe.

Decoupling growth from environmental and social impact is the driving principle behind any successful industrial sustainable development strategy. However, continuous improvement should be benchmarked against a clear and realistic perception of the internal and external business reality. Reliable measurement is essential to ensure permanent monitoring, careful evaluation, committed implementation and tangible results. This is the basic principle behind the European aluminium industry's sustainable development indicator exercise, the results of which have been officially presented today, in Brussels, at the EAA General Assembly.

The Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy and the Versailles University provided the EAA with invaluable assistance in this exercise by collecting the views of hundreds of internal and external stakeholders across Europe and translating them into concrete suggestions for economic, environment and social indicators. Dieter Braun, Chairman of the EAA, proudly commented "Being aware of your performance as an industry in the fields of economy, environment and contribution to social well-being is essential to facilitate dialogue with stakeholders and in defining future business strategy. I owe gratitude to the Wuppertal Institute and Versailles University for co-operating in this pioneering process and to all industry actors for providing reliable data - both the individual company representatives and the national aluminium associations, who have played an essential role".

While receiving the sustainable development report, Liliana Brykman, Head of Unit in Directorate General Enterprise and Industry of the European Commission responsible for non-ferrous metals, favourably commented "This document certainly contributes to the industry's credibility by providing the Commission with precise data. In particular, I am happy to see that the EAA has gathered additional economic data illustrating the challenges related to the competitiveness of the sector in Europe within the current global trends. This will certainly help the European Commission in its future communication on the impact of raw materials and energy supply on the competitiveness of the European metals industry".

Yvo de Boer, Director for International Environmental Affairs of the Dutch Environment Ministry commented on the EAA exercise in the light of the recent political developments within the EU Presidency "The latest informal Environment Council of Ministers was called 'Clean, Clever and Competitive'. I consider the work carried out by the European aluminium industry as a positive contribution to this process. This clearly demonstrates how willing both industry and institutions are to build on environment, innovation and competitiveness for a better common future".

The EAA Chairman highlighted the importance that the European aluminium industry attaches to uninterrupted commitment on sustainable development within the framework of its Aluminium for Future Generations programme, its unwavering pledge to progress through dialogue. He said "The EAA will continue to work on its commitment towards sustainable progress and intends to release its next sustainability report in 2006. This will assist external stakeholders in their evaluation of our industry and
products".

Two additional documents were officially presented at the EAA event: "Aluminium Recycling - The Road to High Quality Products" and "Collection of Aluminium from Buildings in Europe". These mark another important step in the industry's engagement for improved environmental performance and recycling rates. Jim Morrison, the President of the Organisation of European Refiners and Remelters (OEA) concluded "Research in the recycling field manifestly proves that aluminium has a fundamental role to play in the preservation of the environment. Delft University of Technology closely monitored the demolition of a significant number of buildings in Europe. The collection rates of aluminium in this sector were found to vary between 92% and 98%, demonstrating aluminium's pivotal role in the pursuit of full sustainability".

The EAA, founded in 1981, represents the European aluminium industry. Its members are the European primary aluminium producers, the national associations representing the manufacturers of rolled and extruded products in 18 European countries and the Organisation of European Aluminium Refiners and Remelters (OEA) and the European Aluminium Foil Association (EAFA). The European aluminium industry directly offers jobs to about 236,000 people.

European Aluminium Association

European Aluminium Association

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