A Decade of Progress: Growth in ASI Certification drives sustainability in the aluminium value chain
Since the issuance of the first certification in 2018, ASI’s Certification Program has played an important role in driving responsible practices across the aluminium industry.
27 March 2025
In the period between the issuance of the first certification in 2018 and today, ASI Certification has expanded its reach, covering a significant share of global aluminium production under ASI Performance Standard (see Figure 1.).
Figure 1 Aluminium assets certified under ASI Performance Standard and their material production globally.
For these supply chain activities, aluminium rolling shows the highest level of adoption in the supply chain, followed by aluminium smelting and bauxite mining. Alumina refining has the relatively lowest level of adoption. However uptake of 20%+ by volume in each of these is a significant achievement for the sector over a relatively short timeframe since 2018. By comparison, forest certification, first introduced in the early 1990s, covers only around 10% of the world’s forest under management.
The continuous growth in certifications since 2018 is illustrated in Figure 2, which shows the annual uptake of the ASI Performance Standard and Chain of Custody Standard across different Membership classes.
The growth of ASI certifications has been steady over the years with a jump in growth in 2023:
- Early growth phase (2018) – The Certification Program started with a small number of certifications, but grew quickly as the aluminium value chain became more aware of ASI.
- Expansion (2019-2022) – As the Certification Program gained traction the uptake grew significantly, reflecting a growing commitment to responsible practices in aluminium production.
- A record year (2023) – A record of 70 Performance Standard Certifications and 19 Chain of Custody Certifications were issued.
- Plateauing growth (2024) – While the number of new Performance Standard Certifications slightly decreased, new Chain of Custody certifications grew for Production and Transformation, but there were no new certifications for Industrial Users.
Figure 2 Uptake of ASI Performance Standard and Chain of Custody Standard by Membership class. PT – Production and Transformation Membership class; IU – Industrial Users Membership class. ASI offers 6 Membership classes with only two being eligible for Performance Standard and Chain of Custody Standard certifications. Membership classes: Production and Transformation, Industrial Users, Downstream Supporters, Civil Society, Associations, General Supporters.
ASI’s work continues to build a critical mass, supporting positive sustainability outcomes throughout the aluminium value chain. ASI certifications have been achieved by a significant portion of value chain actors, and new members continue to join ASI in order to demonstrate their commitment to improving their environmental, social and governance practices.
As we look ahead, our goal is to further grow the uptake of the ASI Standards, and continue to drive impact through regular revisions to ASI Performance Standard and ASI Chain of Custody Standard. This work sets out a roadmap for the sustainability journey of the sector, implemented through action by all of its participants.
Read more on the current ASI Standard revision here.
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