Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinée – CBG: Ensuring structured and sustainable compliance through an Integrated Management System
Pierre Dominique TRAORE, Group Director of Strategy Development & Quality at CBG, shares how the company is embedding ASI standards into its operations from environmental management and community engagement to ethical governance and future sustainability goals.
7 August 2025
Why ASI Membership matters to CBG
Our membership in ASI is a move that reflects our concrete commitment to sustainability, transparency and accountability in the aluminium value chain. This means we are committed to responsible practices, upholding rigorous standards of human rights, environmental management, health and safety, and ethical governance. It is also a strong signal to stakeholders that our company takes its social and environmental impact seriously. Finally, it is a sign that we take a proactive approach to compliance and continuous improvement.
What have you done, modified, etc., in accordance with, in parallel with, or through the implementation of ASI standards?
In accordance with ASI standards, we have undertaken several concrete actions across key environmental, social and governance areas within our operations. For example, we have updated our environmental management procedures, including tailings, air emissions and water use management. Sustainability criteria are now integrated into investment decisions and procurement processes. We evaluate suppliers according to social and environmental criteria aligned with ASI. We conduct human rights risk analyses in our operations and contractual relationships.
We have implemented mechanisms for dialogue with local communities, including advisory committees and accessible complaint processes. We publish sustainability reports aligned with the requirements of ASI, allowing for greater transparency vis-à-vis stakeholders. There is targeted training for employees and contractors on ASI principles, human rights, business ethics, safety and environmental impacts. We have also integrated ASI standards into our Integrated Management System (IMS), in order to ensure structured and sustainable compliance.
As part of our ongoing environmental awareness campaign within our CBG city and the community, we installed recycle bins to encourage better waste sorting and promote small daily actions for sustainability.
We have equipped all homes in our city with three types of recycle bins, each with a description of what should be placed in them. We then perform a secondary sorting process at our sorting center, where waste is separated into different categories to facilitate proper disposal, recycling, or reuse. For hazardous materials, we have built a site to collect and store them safely until we can find the best way to dispose of them. We have found that proper waste sorting reduces environmental impact; increases recycling rates; ensures hazardous waste is handled safely; and helps us comply with regulations and our company sustainability goals.
In recognition of International Women’s day (March 8) each year, we provide all female workers with traditional clothing of their choice so that they can celebrate joyfully and organize activities with women from surrounding communities.
The fabric is chosen by the participants themselves as a symbol of unity for the occasion. We also support these communities through donations in various sectors.
What improvements or changes have you made in the key social, governance and/or environmental areas covered by the ASI standards?
In this context, several actions have been put in place. We have reduced water and energy consumption through the adoption of more efficient technologies and energy-efficient operational practices. Rigorous monitoring systems and mitigation plans are in place to limit environmental risks. We have developed a decarbonisation plan aligned with the climate requirements of ASI, including monitoring by key performance indicators. We carry out risk assessments on working conditions, freedom of association and impacts on local communities. We have enhanced our staff training and improved our prevention systems. Formal policies on ethics, anti-corruption and due diligence in the supply chain have been created and adopted. And we have created accessible and independent complaint channels, for employees and external communities.
How do you plan to improve your current accomplishments? What are your prospects for the future?
Several areas of reflection are underway in order to improve our achievements. We aim to further deploy ASI standards across cross-functional areas (HR, finance, supply chain, maintenance), so that sustainability is at the heart of all decisions. We plan to enhance how we track reported concerns and communicate the actions taken in response. There is also the implementation of digital platforms for real-time monitoring of ESG indicators.
Our future prospects include working with suppliers and partners to ensure that they too align with ASI requirements. We will be supporting small suppliers in their transition to responsible practices (training, audits, tools) as well as integrating the values of the ASI into the performance evaluation and internal recognition processes.
We will be aiming for ASI Chain of Custody certification, to assure customers of a final product that fully complies with responsible principles.
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