Alcoa unveils industry-first low-carbon alumina

EcoSource is joining Alcoa’s Sustana line of products and produced with no more than 0.6 tons (0.54 tonnes) of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) per ton of alumina.

Alcoa stated that this was two times better than the industry average of 1.2 tons of CO2e.

The measurement accounts for direct emissions from Alcoa’s bauxite mining and alumina refining processes, and indirect emissions from the energy consumed in those processes.

Alcoa president and chief executive Roy Harvey said Alcoa’s line of Sustana products could provide advantages for customers who wanted to improve their environmental footprint.

“Our leadership in sustainability is represented with emissions measured throughout the process,” he said.

“Not all aluminum is created equally, and our mine-to-metal approach is a key differentiator for these products.”

Alcoa also offers EcoLum low-carbon aluminium and EcoDura aluminum in its existing Sustana line.

These can be sourced from Alcoa facilities certified by the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative.

Alcoa operates the largest third-party alumina business in the world.