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Recognitions of ASI

We work with a range of external Standard or Scheme to support recognition of ASI Standards.


What is the process?

Each external Standard or Scheme has its own benchmarking requirements and processes in place that ASI must follow in order to achieve recognition. The ASI Secretariat will work with the owner of the Standard or Scheme to complete the benchmarking assessment process.

Once the external benchmarking or recognition process is complete, the ASI Secretariat will communicate the results on this ASI website.  The external Standard or Scheme will communicate the results of the recognition according to their own processes and procedures.

 

External Standards and Schemes that have recognised ASI Standards or Certification

Green Building Standards

Green building standards, certifications and ratings systems have emerged since the 1990s and are aimed at mitigating the impacts of buildings on the natural environment through sustainable design.

ASI is working to achieve recognition of the ASI Certification program by selected green building initiatives. Below is a list of the green building standards that have recognised ASI Certification to date.

About BREEAM

BREEAM is an international scheme that provides independent third party certification of the assessment of the sustainability performance of individual buildings, communities and infrastructure projects.

BREEAM third-party certification involves the checking – by impartial experts – of the assessment of a building or project by a qualified and licensed BREEAM Assessor to ensure that it meets the quality and performance standards of the scheme.

The main output from a certified BREEAM assessment is the rating. A certified rating reflects the performance achieved by a project and its stakeholders, as measured against the standard and its benchmarks. The rating enables comparability between projects and provides reassurance to customers and users, in turn underpinning the quality and value of the asset.

The BREEAM ratings range from Acceptable (In-Use scheme only) to Pass, Good, Very Good, Excellent to Outstanding and it is reflected in a series of stars on the BREEAM certificate.

How it works

BREEAM awards credits for responsibly sourcing construction products to encourage responsible product specification and procurement in construction. To achieve these credits, applicable specified products must be covered by Environmental Management System (EMS) or a Responsible Sourcing Certification Scheme (RSCS) recognised by BREEAM.

ASI completed the BREEAM evaluation process in April 2020. Being a recognised Responsible Sourcing Certification Scheme means that ASI Aluminium products can be identified and checked by construction product specifiers and BREEAM Assessors during BREEAM assessments.

The table below is taken from Guidance Note GN 18, which contains the score levels for RSCS that are recognised by BREEAM for use in BREEAM and HQM assessments, along with respective guidance:

RSCS/EMS Scheme (or other recognised source)

Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI)

Label(s)/Version(s) of the scheme

‘ASI Certified Performance’ with ‘ASI Certified Chain of Custody’ (Note: Provisional certification is not applicable)

Additional requirement to be specified

The aluminium shall originate from a casthouse that is a certified ASI Member and/or a subsequent supplier of this aluminium that is a certified Member (listed here: https://aluminium-stewardship.org/asi-certification/asi-certified-members/)

RSCS summary score level for use in BREEAM assessments

5

About GBCA

Founded by Green Building Council of Australia in 2003, Green Star is an internationally recognised rating system setting the standard for healthy, resilient, positive buildings and places. Developed for the Australian environment, Green Star has certified thousands of sustainable fitouts, buildings, homes and communities across the country.

A Green Star certification provides independent assurance that high standards across a range of sustainability categories have been met. Green Star assesses and rates buildings, interiors and communities against a range of environmental impact categories that align with Sustainable Development Goals.

Green Star uses a rating scale to measure and reward projects that achieve best practice or above in their sustainability outcomes in four different categories for each project:

  • Green Star – Buildings: Guiding the sustainable design and construction of schools, offices, universities, industrial facilities, public buildings, retail centres and hospitals.
  • Green Star – Communities: Improving the sustainability of projects at the precinct or community scale.
  • Green Star – Interiors: Transforming the interior fitouts in everything from offices and hotels to bank branches and shops.
  • Green Star – Performance: Supporting higher levels of operational efficiency within existing buildings.

How it works

The Responsible Products Framework is a credit that falls under the ‘Green Star – Buildings’ category and aims to assess how responsible a product is, in order to drive the supply chain to deliver transparent, healthy, low-impact, and net zero carbon products that are part of a circular economy.

To verify how responsible a product is, Green Star relies on industry accepted initiatives and schemes. The ASI Performance Standard V3 has been recognised by Green Star under the Responsible Products Framework.

This means that ASI certified members can now contribute to Green Star credit points (under the ‘Green Star Building’ category: Responsible Structure, Responsible Envelope, Responsible Finishes, and Responsible Systems) for the structure on a project.

A Responsible Products Score Checker has been created to allow users to view their responsible product value for each product certification initiative as well as initiative combinations. To view initiatives (including ASI) and manufacturers recognised by GBCA please click here (an account must be created).  To view the scores of each initiative and initiative combinations, click ‘+’ at the end of each row and see score the at bottom of the page.

What does a product manufacturer need to supply to project teams?

The product manufacturer must provide to the project team either one or multiple certificates, declarations, or similar verified documents that the product complies with.

How can product manufacturers communicate their achievements to project teams, procurement teams, etc?

Currently GBCA is working to develop appropriate language that will enable manufacturers to communicate their Green Star achievements. For now, companies should communicate any initiatives they comply with from our approved list to your stakeholders. GBCA also recommends companies to have an easy to find place in their website where project teams can collect this information from.

For more information, please see the ‘Driving responsible products in the built environment’ paper here: https://gbca-web.s3.amazonaws.com/media/documents/driving-responsible-products-in-the-built-environment.pdf

About LEED

LEED is the green building project and performance management system from the U.S. Green Building Council, and provides a framework for green building design, construction, operations and performance.

The latest version of LEED, LEED v4.1, sets the bar on building standards to address energy efficiency, water conservation, site selection, material selection, day lighting, waste reduction, and more.

Projects pursuing LEED certification earn points for various green building strategies under LEED credits, across several categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, material and resources, indoor environmental quality, innovation and regional priority credits. Based on the number of points achieved, a project earns one of four LEED rating levels: Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum.

The credit ‘Social Equity within the Supply Chain’ is a new pilot credit which aims to create more equitable, healthier environments for those affected by and involved in the production of materials and products used in a project, including the stages of raw materials extraction, processing, manufacturing, and assembly of components and products.

How it works

The pilot credit ‘‘Social equity within the supply chain’’ requires that products used are certified by, or are from a company that meets all 8 Fundamental Conventions of the International Labour Organization (or using alternative strategies which proves that these 8 Conventions have been addressed). As a pilot credit, the USGBC will monitor the credit’s uptake and use by LEED project teams. Pilot credits are reviewed annually and updates are made based on user experience. Each year the credit will either be extended for another year, or included as a permanent credit under the LEED system, or retired.

The eight ILO conventions include: Freedom of Association and Protection of Right to Organize (C087), Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining (C098), Forced Labour (C029), Abolition of Forced Labour (C105), Minimum Age (C138), Worst Forms of Child Labour (C182), Equal Renumeration (C100) and Discrimination – Employment and Occupation (C111).

The ASI Performance Standard (v2) and the ASI Chain of Custody Standard (v1) have both been pre-approved by USGBC to meet these 8 ILO Fundamental Conventions. To be eligible, the manufacturing company has achieved ASI Performance Standard Certification, or procures materials that are sourced from an Entity that has achieved ASI Chain of Custody Certification. (Please note that in order for an Entity to be ASI CoC Certified, ASI Performance Standard Certification must be achieved as well).

 

CONSULT THE FULL LEED TEXT ON SOCIAL EQUITY WITHIN THE SUPPLY CHAIN

 

About BCCA

The Belgian Construction Certification Association (BCCA) is the Belgian certification body that monitors and strengthens quality, reliability and performance in the construction sector in an independent, impartial and expert manner.

In 2024, BCCA launched its ‘Sustainable Joinery’ product certificate for the construction sector. The product certificate ‘Sustainable Joinery’ aims to validate and communicate efforts in the field of sustainability in a transparent and reliable way for wood, aluminium, PVC or steel.  The certificate is aimed at companies that assemble/produce windows and doors.

Based on annual audits, carried out by BCCA, two aspects of sustainability are verified:

  • Lifespan of products (durability)
  • Social and environmental responsibility of the product.

The Sustainable Joinery product certificate has been recognized by the Federal Institute for Sustainable Development (FIDO) and is included in their ‘guide on sustainable purchasing’. This recognition indicates that Sustainable Joinery is a certificate in line with the law on public procurement and can be included in public and therefore also private specifications.

How it works

ASI and BCCA engaged in a benchmarking assessment process in 2023 and ASI achieved recognition as a BCCA-recognised Sustainable Joinery label in 2024, alongside Cradle-to-Cradle, PEFC and VinylPlus.  ASI received a high overall score of 70%, because the certification program covers the whole aluminium value chain.

The recognition of ASI by BCCA means that ASI Certified Entities (such as aluminium extruders) can use their ASI Performance Standard and CoC Certificate for meeting the criteria within the theme of ‘sustainable procurement’.  This avoids duplication and additional costs for the company.

Through the recognition of ASI by BCCA, ASI aims to strengthen the demand for ASI certified products within the construction sector.

More information on the Sustainable Joinery product certification

 

 

ESG Rating Schemes

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria are a set of standards for a company’s operations that socially conscious investors use to screen potential investments. Environmental criteria consider how a company performs as a steward of nature. Social criteria examine how it manages relationships with employees, suppliers, customers, and the communities where it operates. Governance deals with a company’s leadership, executive pay, audits, internal controls, and shareholder rights.

Companies can be scored objectively on their environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance by various third party providers of reports and ratings. Institutional investors, asset managers, financial institutions and other stakeholders are increasingly relying on these reports and ratings to assess and measure company ESG performance over time and as compared to peers.

The following providers of ESG Ratings have recognised ASI’s Standards as being consistent and compatible with parts of their schemes.

About EcoVadis

EcoVadis is a trusted provider of business sustainability ratings, allowing companies to assess the environmental and social performance of their global suppliers. Within its CSR assessment methodology, EcoVadis recognises certification schemes and awards points to companies who have been certified against these schemes.  For EcoVadis, an effective CSR Management System is composed of the following elements: Policies, Actions and Reporting on Results. These three management layers are separated into seven management indicators: Policies (POLI), Endorsements (ENDO), Measures (MESU), Certifications (CERT), Coverage – Deployment of Actions (COVE), Reporting (REPO) and 360° Watch Findings (360).

Both the ASI Performance Standard and ASI Chain of Custody Standard (CoC) have been approved by EcoVadis as recognised certification standards. ASI has also been formally recognised by EcoVadis as a sustainability membership organisation.

In 2020, a Senior EcoVadis Analyst conducted a mapping exercise and gap analysis and discussed these with ASI to understand where and how ASI could be recognised within the EcoVadis CSR management system assessment. The outcomes are described below.

How it works

  1. Companies can now endorse ASI by becoming an ASI Member in the Production & Transformation, Industrial User or Downstream Supporter membership class and will receive points in the ‘Endorsements (ENDO)’ management indicator. ASI Members need to provide documented evidence of ASI membership (e.g. mention of membership in a CSR report or other public document, or a screenshot of the ASI Member list).
  2. In addition to ASI membership, ASI Certified Members in the Production & Transformation and Industrial Users membership classes will receive points in the ‘Certifications (CERT)’ management indicator when they achieve certification against the ASI Performance Standard and ASI Chain-of-Custody Standard. ASI Certified Members need to provide documented evidence of a valid (non-expired) ASI Performance Standard and Chain of Custody certificate and entry on the ASI Certified Member List.

 

Mining and Metal Standards

About LME Responsible Sourcing requirements

The 2022 ASI Performance Standard and Guidance have been aligned with the OECD Due Diligence Guidance to meet LME Responsible Sourcing requirements.

In order to become a Track A Standard for the LME rules, ASI is undergoing the OECD Alignment Assessment with TDi Sustainability between 2021 and 2024. ASI has been conditionally approved as a recognised alignment-assessed standard by the LME in August 2022 and aims to achieve ‘full alignment’ in Q4 2024.

LME Brands for aluminium can use ASI Certification against the 2022 Performance Standard to demonstrate compliance with the LME’s Responsible Sourcing requirements. Full, unconditional approval will be assessed after the implementation portion of the alignment assessment is complete.

About ICMM Equivalency Benchmark

The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) is an international organisation dedicated to a safe, fair and sustainable mining and metals industry. ICMM brings together 27 mining and metals company members and over 35 national, regional and commodities association members.

ICMM’s Mining Principles and ICMM Performance Expectations (PEs) define good practice environmental, social and governance requirements for the industry through a comprehensive set of PEs. Implementation is supported by site-level validation, transparent disclosure of the outcomes and credible assurance of corporate sustainability reports. ICMM’s Mining Principles and ICMM PEs are a condition of membership for ICMM’s company members and apply to more than 650 assets (mine sites) in over 50 countries.

ASI and ICMM conducted a comprehensive Equivalency Benchmark in 2020 to see how the requirements of the ASI Performance Standard V2 are equivalent to, or differ from ICMM’s Mining Principles and associated PEs.

The Equivalency Benchmark was updated in 2023 following the publication of the revised ASI Performance Standards and Guidance V3 in May 2022. Compared to ASI Performance Standard V2, more criteria in the ASI Performance Standard V3 now meet the ICMM Performance Expectations:

  • 1 Exceeds (previously 2)
  • 30 Meets (previously 23)
  • 6 Partially Meets (previously 11)
  • 2 N/A (not changed).

See the table below for the summary of Assessment Results of ASI Performance Standard V3 against the ICMM Performance Expectations:

ASI Performance Standard exceeds ICMM PE

ASI Performance Standard meets ICMM PE

ASI Performance Standard partially meets ICMM PE

ASI Performance Standard does not meet ICMM PE

Not Applicable for ASI Performance Standard

1 PEs

30 PEs

6 PEs

0 PEs

2 PEs

4.2

1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8, 3.9, 4.1, 4.3, 4.4, 5.1, 5.2, 6.1, 6.4, 7.1, 7.2, 8.1, 8.2, 9.1, 9.3, 10.1, 10.2

6.2, 6.3, 6.5, 9.2, 10.3, 10.4

1.3, 9.4

 

How it works

The table above provides an overview of the requirements of the ASI Performance Standard V3 that Exceed, Meet, or Partially Meet the requirements of the ICMM Mining Principles.  The full ICMM Mining Principles-Centric Benchmark table can be found on page 6 in the Equivalency Benchmark document.

 

What does the Equivalency mean for ICMM members who are also ASI Certified Members?

This recognition means that for ICMM member assets that have undergone third-party validation of the ASI Performance Standard within in the last three years, ICMM will recognise this validation so assets do not need to repeat the validation for those requirements deemed equivalent in this table, for which the asset has already demonstrated conformance under the ASI Performance Standard.

For those Entities that are certified against ASI Performance Standard V2, the 2020 Equivalency Benchmark applies. For those Entities that are certified against ASI Performance Standard V3, the 2023 Equivalency Benchmark applies.

If the PE is ‘Partially Met’ by the ASI Performance Standard requirements, the highlighted text and notes in the ICMM’s Mining Principles-Centric Benchmark table will say what additional evidence companies need to provide to meet the PE.

 

Why are there differences between ASI / other standards and ICMM?

  • The other standard owners and ICMM are distinct organisations with different memberships, mandates and governance structures.
  • The drivers behind how and why each standard was developed are similar, but not exactly the same. Each will have conducted extensive consultations during their development phases, and reflect differences in terms of what was deemed a priority to their respective stakeholders.
  • Standards that are commodity or geography specific are likely to emphasise particular environmental, social or governance issues over others. Given the diversity of ICMM’s membership, the Mining Principles are designed to apply across commodities and geographies.

 

Why did ASI rate ‘Partially Meets’ on certain ICMM PEs?

  • Gaps that were identified in the initial Equivalency Benchmark were logged and addressed where applicable during the ASI Standards Revision process that took place between 2020 and 2022. Seven ‘Partially Meets’ ratings therefore been raised to ‘Meets’ during the update of the Equivalency Benchmark in 2023.
  • Any outstanding gaps have been logged as part of future ASI Standards Revision process
  • ICMM wanted specific language and references to be included in the ASI Performance Standard requirement (not in the Guidance, where it is mentioned) in order to be equivalent. This was the case for almost all PEs where ASI rated ‘Partially Meets.’
  • While ASI did not always agree with all points and ratings made, we accept the recognition and the importance of the process more broadly. ASI looks forward to continuing working with ICMM on equivalency as our standards evolve over time.

About Responsible Minerals Initiative – Risk Readiness Assessment (RRA)

Founded in 2008 by members of the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) and the Global e-Sustainability Initiative, the Responsible Minerals Initiative offers resources for companies from a range of industries addressing responsible mineral sourcing issues in their supply chains.

More than 380 companies and associations from 10 industries participate in the RMI today, and RMI regularly collaborates with other complementary programs and initiatives in this area.  In 2018, RBA and ASI have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on supporting responsible sourcing practices and ongoing improvement in the environmental, social and governance performance of their respective members and/or supply chain partners.

One of the tools that RMI has developed is the Risk Readiness Assessment (RRA); a voluntary self-assessment and self-reporting tool for minerals and metals producers and processors to communicate their environmental, social and governance practices and performance. Its main objective is to promote a common understanding of good practices and a means to consistently assess risks and actions to manage risks in the mineral supply chain.

The RRA is comprised of a set of 33 environmental, social and governance (ESG) ‘issue areas’ associated with sourcing minerals and metals. For each issue area, the RRA specifies a management practice. These management practices are known as the ‘industry norm’ and are derived from the requirements of voluntary sustainability standards that are commonly used in the minerals and metals supply chains and are representative of good management practices.

How it works

Since 2019, RMI and ASI have conducted a comprehensive equivalency process to understand how the ASI Performance Standard meet some of all of the RRA Industry Norms.  Following the equivalency process, ASI was included in the RRA Online Platform as a Recognised Voluntary Standard System (VSS). Periodic updates to this equivalency assessment are carried out to reflect the evolving Standard.

This document shows the latest results (October 2024) of the RMI-ASI equivalency assessment, as well as other Voluntary Standard Systems.

This equivalency will support sites who are already certified against the ASI Performance Standard in completing the RRA self-assessment tool, and encourages harmonisation, equivalencies and cross-recognition of standards, and avoiding audit fatigue where possible.

To learn more about the RRA methodology and industry norms, please visit:

The RRA is regularly reviewed to ensure the voluntary sustainability standards, issue areas and norms used for the Standards Comparison are up to date and representative of the current landscape in the mineral supply chains.

For details, consult the RRA Review Process.

Sustainability Standard Databases

About ITC Standards Map

The International Trade Centre (ITC)’s Standards Map provides comprehensive, verified and transparent information on standards for environmental protection, worker and labour rights, economic development, quality and food safety, as well as business ethics. More than 300 sustainability standards are included in the Standards Map.

It enables users to review and analyse various’ standards requirements and processes, access step-by-step guidance on how to comply with requirements, and do a self-assessment against any of sustainability standards included in the Standards Map.

ASI’s Performance Standard was included in the ITC Standards Map in December 2020 and updated in December 2022 following the launch of ASI’s revised Standards in May 2022.

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