ASI Program development update

Over the next ten months, ASI will be laser-focused on finalising its certification program. Here’s an overview of what’s on the agenda.

ASI Standards — the Performance Standard and Chain of Custody Standard — will undergo further review, public consultation and finalisation in 2017. The key documents and their status are:

• ASI Performance Standard: version 1 was launched in December 2014. The ASI Standards Committee are currently working on a minor revision for version 2, to be launched by year end. The intent of the revision is to integrate the Performance Standard into the broader certification program, and enhance clarity and auditability. 
• Guidance for Performance Standard: draft Guidance chapters have also been developed for the Performance Standard, with the aim of supporting consistent interpretation and effective implementation. 
• Chain of Custody Standard: comments received in the recent public consultation are currently being integrated into a draft 4. 
• Guidance for Chain of Custody Standard: a range of useful comments and clarifications from the public consultation input are also being used to improve the draft Guidance.

All of the above documents will be gathering input from the Standards Committee and Working Groups over the next two months, and will be made available for public consultation in Q2 2017. More information on the public consultation plan can be found in the next news article.

The ASI assurance model is being laid out in the ASI Assurance Manual, an 80-page document designed to be an introduction and ‘how-to’ for members and auditors as they approach the ASI certification process. The current draft is being shared with ASI members as they consider their preparations for a Pilot Program, scheduled for July-September 2017.

The Pilot will be conducted through the ASI Assurance Platform, an online database platform currently in development by the ASI Secretariat. We anticipate being able to show a demo of the Assurance Platform at the Montreal AGM event in April.

Overall, the coming months are the time in the program development process when details get finessed, uncertainties clarified, ideas and processes tested, and ultimately consensus built on the final design. It’s certainly keeping our small team very busy and we appreciate the support and contributions of members and stakeholders to the process.

Please contact the ASI Secretariat with any questions or comments: info@aluminium-stewardship.org