ASI certifies Audi: first downstream user of aluminium against ASI Performance Standard
Audi AG is the first downstream user of aluminium to be certified against ASI’s Performance Standard, with a focus on the material stewardship of aluminium components.
11 October 2018
Aluminium Stewardship Initiative certifies first downstream user of aluminium against ASI Performance Standard
Audi AG is the first downstream user of aluminium to be certified against ASI’s Performance Standard, with a focus on the material stewardship of aluminium components for and assembling of high-voltage batteries C-BEV for the Audi e-tron at their Neckarsulm, Györ and Brussels manufacturing sites. Batteries are a critical technology for the rapidly growing electric vehicles market from a sustainability perspective: their performance determines the car’s range and they can be re-used in stationary applications, then finally recycled after their life as a vehicle battery is over.
Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) today announced the first certification issued to an ‘Industrial User’ company. The ASI Performance Standard focuses on ‘material stewardship’ for Industrial Users, addressing issues such as product design, life cycle assessments, management of process scrap and collection and recycling of products at end-of-life.
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 independent, third-party audit of Audi was carried out by Bureau Veritas Austria.
Fiona Solomon, Chief Executive Officer at ASI said “ASI sincerely congratulates Audi AG on their achievement of the first ASI Certification by an Industrial User. ASI’s standards have application throughout the aluminium value chain, including in downstream use sectors such as automotive which aim to support future mobility. The rapidly growing electrical vehicle market is expected to create significant drivers for the uptake of responsible supply chain standards. Downstream users of aluminium also have a critical role to play in embedding material stewardship principles in design, life cycle analyses, closed-loop scrap management and end-of-life product strategies. Audi has contributed to the development of ASI since the early days of the initiative and we commend them on their commitment and drive to reach this important milestone.”
“Audi stands for sustainability along the entire supply chain,” stated Dr. Bernd Martens, Member of the Board of Management for Procurement and IT. “The Aluminium Stewardship Initiative has created transparency with its new certification program.”
ASI Certification process
ASI’s Standards apply throughout the supply chain, from mining through to downstream sectors that use aluminium in their products. All current ASI members in the ‘Production and Transformation’ and ‘Industrial Users’ classes will be working towards their own ASI certifications in the coming two years. ASI Members are listed at https://aluminium-stewardship.org/about-asi/current-members/
ASI’s custom-built online assurance platform, elementAl underpins the entire certification workflow for both the ASI Performance Standard and Chain of Custody Standard. First, elementAl’s user-oriented interface and workflows support the prospective company during the initial self-assessment phase and data is protected by a secure firewall. When ready, the company then makes their relevant elementAl information accessible to their chosen auditor. Auditors use elementAl to support audit planning, on-site verification and reporting. ASI reviews submitted audit reports for conformity with ASI’s assurance procedures as a final control, before the certification approval and certificate(s) are issued. Full ASI certification is valid for three years, usually with a surveillance audit at approximately 18 months.
More information
- View Audi’s Summary Audit Report
- Consult the Audi member page
- See the ASI Certified Members page
- More about the ASI Performance Standard
- View Audi’s media release about their ASI Performance Standard Certification
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