ASI wraps up successful CRU Aluminium Summit 2026

15 May 2026

Sustainability discussions shape the agenda at CRU World Aluminium Summit 2026

The 31st annual CRU World Aluminium Summit 2026 brought together global leaders from across the aluminium value chain for three days of discussions on the future of the sector — from geopolitics, tariffs and trade flow disruption through to decarbonisation, circularity, responsible sourcing and supply chain resilience.

Against a backdrop of ongoing geopolitical tensions, shifting trade relationships, CBAM implementation, energy market uncertainty and increasing supply chain disruption, a strong message emerging from the Summit was that sustainability is increasingly being viewed not only as an environmental or compliance issue, but also as part of broader business resilience and long-term competitiveness.

For ASI, the Summit demonstrated how sustainability considerations are increasingly embedded across mainstream aluminium industry discussions. Alongside dedicated sessions on ASI Standards, responsible sourcing, circularity, climate transition pathways and CBAM implementation, themes such as recycling growth, decarbonisation, energy transition, emissions intensity and supply chain resilience featured prominently throughout the broader programme.

Day 2 in particular placed sustainability-related challenges and opportunities at the centre of discussions, while Day 3 focused strongly on the growing operational and commercial implications of carbon transparency and CBAM implementation.

Across the week, ASI colleagues and Members helped lead discussions on responsible sourcing and due diligence, circularity and recycling, climate transition pathways, emissions transparency, CBAM implementation and the future direction of ASI’s Standards.

The prominence of these topics throughout the programme reflects a broader industry shift: sustainability is no longer treated as a parallel discussion to aluminium markets and operations, but increasingly as a central factor shaping competitiveness, investment decisions, supply chain access and long-term resilience.

As Steinunn Dögg Steinsen, Vice President of HSE, Sustainability and Management Systems at Century Aluminum, noted during the ASI Champions panel: “Sustainability used to be a compliance exercise but is now a business decision.”

A growing focus on responsible sourcing

One major area of discussion during the Summit was the rapid evolution of responsible sourcing expectations across global aluminium supply chains.

ASI’s Gabriel Carmona Aparicio moderated a session on supply chain due diligence and risk mitigation spanning the full aluminium value chain — from bauxite production through to recycling systems and downstream applications.

The discussion explored how sustainability-related due diligence expectations are expanding beyond traditional compliance approaches to include climate risks, human rights impacts, deforestation, livelihoods, conflict-sensitive sourcing and increasingly complex sustainability-related data flows.

Particular attention was given to circularity-related due diligence challenges, including the role of informal recycling systems and waste pickers, as well as growing interest in digital product passports, interoperability and digital credential exchange between standards systems.

The market relevance of responsible sourcing systems was also strongly reinforced during the session. As highlighted by Mingyou Yang, Sustainability Manager at the London Metal Exchange (LME): “Responsible Sourcing is not a ‘nice to have’, it has become a market requirement for a brand to be deliverable on the LME.”

Fion Cheung Diaz, Head of ESG at SNTO, also highlighted the importance of common sustainability frameworks: “Responsible sourcing only works when we can compare climate, nature, circularity and human rights — the ASI framework allows us to align to these benchmarks.”

Circularity and the strategic importance of recycling

Circularity and recycling discussions featured heavily throughout the Summit programme, reflecting growing industry recognition that secondary aluminium supply is becoming increasingly strategic in an uncertain geopolitical and economic environment.

Moderating the “Closing Loops – Recycling” panel, Gabriel Carmona Aparicio guided discussions on challenges linked to scrap availability, quality, collection systems, alloy complexity and infrastructure investment.

Drawing on insights discussed in relation to the Circularity Gap Report, panellists explored how tighter competition for high-quality scrap streams, investment in sorting and remelting infrastructure, and efforts by countries and companies to retain valuable scrap within domestic industrial systems are reshaping aluminium circularity globally.

The discussion reinforced that recycling is no longer viewed only through a sustainability lens, but increasingly as a critical issue linked to industrial resilience, supply security, emissions reduction and competitiveness.

Climate pathways and implementation realities

Climate transition pathways and decarbonisation challenges formed another major area of discussion during the Summit.

ASI’s Climate Change and Decarbonisation Director, Chris Bayliss, participated in a dedicated climate session examining recent sector developments, emissions trajectories, infrastructure constraints and forward-looking transition scenarios.

Drawing on ASI Pathways work and Certified Entity performance data, the session explored the growing complexity of aligning long-term climate ambition with practical implementation realities across different production systems and geographies.

Discussions highlighted that much of the sector’s recent emissions reductions are currently being driven by shifts in production geography and access to lower-carbon electricity rather than widespread deployment of breakthrough technologies.

The session also examined growing concerns around the potential disconnect between corporate climate commitments and the physical availability of lower-carbon aluminium supply, alongside the importance of near-term action linked to infrastructure, financing and energy systems.

CBAM implementation moves into focus

The implementation of Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms (CBAM) was another key area of attention, with a dedicated workshop on Day 3 exploring practical implications for aluminium supply chains.

Moderated by Chris Bayliss, discussions covered the latest CBAM developments, customs and reporting processes, carbon price exposure and risk management considerations.

A key takeaway from the workshop was the growing importance of reliable and verified supplier emissions data. While CBAM methodologies themselves are unique to CBAM, ASI’s climate-related requirements already support many of the emissions data and management foundations needed for organisational preparedness and supplier engagement.

The workshop also reinforced how carbon transparency is increasingly influencing sourcing decisions, pricing structures and competitiveness across international aluminium trade flows.

The future direction of ASI Standards

The ongoing ASI Standards Revision process featured prominently throughout the Summit, including dedicated sessions exploring what the 2027 versions of the ASI Performance Standard and Chain of Custody Standard could look like.

Led by ASI Standards Director Chelsea Reinhardt together with ASI Members from across the value chain, discussions explored major themes emerging from the revision process, including climate ambition, circularity, responsible sourcing, supply chain due diligence, materiality and evolving approaches to Chain of Custody and mass balance systems.

Importantly, the discussions highlighted the role of ASI as a globally recognised, multi-stakeholder framework capable of supporting organisations across different parts of the aluminium value chain while responding to rapidly evolving sustainability expectations.

As Fion Cheung Diaz of SNTO noted: “ASI has given us a common baseline which helps us to be able to make consistent business decisions with clarity.”

Sabine Sigle, Global Sustainability Senior Manager at Nemak, reflected on the operational value of certification: “By joining ASI in 2022, Nemak gained a consistent level of operational practice, as ASI helped us to really drill down to identify and mitigate risks.”

Alexander Wimmer, Head of Technology and Corporate Sustainability at Constantia Flexibles, reinforced the growing customer relevance of sustainability systems: “If you’re ASI certified, you are already answering 95% of your customers’ questions.”

Industry leadership and collaboration

Throughout the Summit, ASI Members shared practical experiences and perspectives from across upstream production, recycling, manufacturing and downstream applications.

The ASI Champions panel brought together representatives from Novelis, Nemak, Constantia Flexibles, Century Aluminum and SNTO to discuss how sustainability expectations are evolving across the sector, the challenges companies continue to face, and where ASI can continue evolving to support meaningful progress.

Steinunn Dögg Steinsen, Vice President of HSE, Sustainability and Management Systems at Century Aluminum, emphasised the importance of continual progress: “Being ASI certified means you are committing to improve.”

The importance of collaboration across the sector was also a recurring theme. As Chinelo Etiaba, COO and Membership Director at ASI, noted during the Summit: “The sustainability challenges we see today were not created by one company, so therefore the change we want to see requires collaboration with all companies working together.”

ASI extends its thanks to CRU, co-host International Aluminium Institute, speakers, panellists, Members and all participants who contributed to this year’s discussions.

To stay informed on the ASI Standards Revision process and future consultation opportunities, visit the ASI Standards Revision Hub.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE