ASI certifies Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinée against Performance Standard V2 (Provisional)
The process undertaken for the audit represents a commitment to a rigorous and inclusive assurance process following a risk-based approach to ensure the integrity of the audit outcome. The Provisional Certification is valid for the period of one year, during which the company can address the non-conformances assessed and subsequently seek full certification.
20 December 2023
Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) today announced that CBG has been certified against the ASI Performance Standard V2 with Provisional status for bauxite mining and related operations in Boké Prefecture, Guinea. The certification scope covers the Sangarédi mining site (exploration and mining operations), Kamsar bauxite processing plant (bauxite drying and crushing), Kamsar port facilities, Boké railway (between Sangarédi and Kamsar), Moyen-Bafing biodiversity compensation site in the Labé region, as well as the production and distribution of electricity and water, and the management of workers’ housing at the Kamsar and Sangarédi sites. The assurance process incorporated several specific measures for this audit, including an in-depth pre-audit risk assessment, the inclusion of local ASI Registered Specialists to facilitate local-language community engagement, an ASI Witness Assessment with ASI secretariat members on-site during the audit, and extensive post-audit oversight, all of which served to ensure that the audit findings address the requirements of the Standard.
The ASI Certification program was developed through an extensive multi-stakeholder consultation process and is the only comprehensive voluntary sustainability standard initiative for the aluminium value chain. The ASI Performance Standard V2 defines environmental, social and governance principles and criteria, with the aim to address sustainability issues in the aluminium value chain. It sets out 59 criteria under the three sustainability pillars of Environment, Social, and Governance, which address key issues such as biodiversity, Indigenous Peoples rights, and greenhouse gas emissions.
The Provisional Certification serves as a strategic and flexible approach for aluminium sector actors to gain access to ASI’s sustainability standards framework, learn, and improve their practices over a defined period. The one-year certification period provides an opportunity for Members to commence their ASI Certification journey, and take corrective action, while requiring a commitment to move towards Full Certification as soon as is practically possible. A surveillance audit checks progress on the closure of non-conformances mid-way through the certification period, and a re-certification audit takes place at the end of the certification period.
The independent, third-party audit was conducted by BM Trada. A full listing of audit findings is available in the summary audit reports, linked below. Thirteen minor non-conformances were noted under Criteria 6.1 Emissions to Air, 6.3a Assessment and Management of Spills and Leakage (assessment), 6.3b Assessment and Management of Spills and Leakage (management), 7.1a Water assessment (mapping), 7.2a Water management (management plans), 8.3 Alien Species, 9.1c Human Rights Due Diligence (remediation), 9.4 Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), 9.6a Resettlements (avoid or minimise), 9.6b Resettlements (where unavoidable), 9.7a Local Communities (rights and interests), 9.7b Local Communities (impacts), and 10.7a Remuneration (living wage) resulting in a Certification with Provisional status of one year. CBG will be implementing corrective actions, to be verified in a follow-up audit.
“ASI congratulates CBG on their Provisional Certification against Performance Standard V2. This has been a significant audit that has attracted interest from a wide range of stakeholders. ASI has used all of its available processes to oversee the integrity of the assurance. These have included advance discussion with community representatives and Human Rights Watch on issues of concern, advance review and feedback on the audit plan, ensuring that the audit team involved Guinean nationals with local knowledge and language skills, and confirming that a broad range of communities were consulted during the audit process in accordance with the ASI Assurance Manual. Three ASI Secretariat members were also on-site for the audit itself, carrying out a Witness Assessment over the 12 days. Finalisation of the report took time, as the ASI Secretariat asked a range of follow up questions of the audit team to enable the findings to be as informative and accessible as possible for affected and interested stakeholders.”
“The report outcomes highlight that while there is progress in meeting some aspects of the Standard, there is more to do on some important environmental and social criteria. ASI Certification is an improvement journey that includes a commitment to addressing issues, demonstrating action and progress, and identifying gaps. The publicly available findings provide transparency on status at the time of the audit, and links to company disclosures required by the ASI Standard where more detail can be found. The next audit in mid-2024 will follow up on the non-conformances identified and we expect to continue to engage with key stakeholders in preparation for that. We thank CBG for stepping up to this improvement journey: the performance of the mining sector is critical for achieving our broader goal of a responsible aluminium value chain.”
– Dr. Fiona Solomon, Chief Executive Officer, ASI
“Our commitment extends beyond environmental concerns to empowering the communities where we operate. We have undertaken significant initiatives to enhance local infrastructure, provide clean water and electricity, and deliver essential health services.”
“As we celebrate our achievement, we remain committed to advancing our practices to strike a balance between economic transformation and environmental and social responsibility. We call upon our industry peers to join us in this commitment to create a sustainable and responsible mining sector that benefits both our environment and the communities we serve.”
– Souleymane Traoré, Managing Director, CBG
“CBG’s journey has always been about more than bauxite valorisation. It’s about a commitment to environmental preservation, community empowerment, and ethical mining. Achieving ASI certification, and committing to address identified gaps, underscores our dedication to these principles.”
– Saran Camara, Head of Reporting and Sustainable Projects Management, CBG
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