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ASI Chain of Custody Material Flows

ASI Chain of Custody Material along the value chain

Visualisation Introduction

The ASI Chain of Custody (CoC) Standard sets out requirements for accounting for the flow of ASI Material through CoC Certified Entities along the aluminium value chain.

As part of ASI’s Monitoring & Evaluation program, CoC Certified Entities are required to annually report on CoC material inputs and outputs. This enables ASI to evaluate system integrity and support aggregated reporting over time to interested stakeholders. 2019 was the first year in which there were sufficient CoC Certified Entities to meet ASI’s Antitrust Compliance Policy in terms of aggregated statistics, enabling us to report the collected CoC data.

An existing MoU between ASI and IAI provided a collaboration framework to enable integration of the supply chain and mass balance model of the ASI CoC Standard with the IAI’s Global Mass Flow model in a Sankey diagram. An ISEAL Impulse Grant awarded to ASI in 2020 provided additional support to this project.

The final project outcome is an integrated visual reporting model of ASI CoC data within the context of IAI’s total supply and demand modelling along the aluminium value chain. ASI plans to annually collect data and update the visual model to show the growth over time of ASI Material flows.

We sincerely thank IAI for their collaboration and support, and all CoC Certified Entities for their contributions to this first reporting cycle.

Methodology

ASI collected input and output quantities for each of the supply chain activities within each Entity’s ASI CoC Certification Scope. IAI then updated their model architecture to be able to incorporate and visualise the ASI data as a ‘green stripe’ (see the sections with diagrams below).

The Sankey diagram can now show the ASI Material quantities and the Non-ASI Material quantities on an aggregate level, globally, for the year 2019, with data for subsequent years to be added annually.

For the 2019 calendar year, there were 13 CoC Certified Entities, across various supply chain stages, that were certified for at least part of the year. With CoC Certifications continuing to increase, the number of reporting Entities will grow in parallel.

The Sankey diagram aims to provide stakeholders with valuable insight on:

  • verified and accurate ASI Material quantities. ASI collects data from Certified Entities against CoC Criterion 1.7, and the data undergoes data quality inspection and mass balance analysis;
  • transparency in uptake of ASI Aluminium and responsible production and sourcing practices in the context of global supply and demand over time.

Through this project, ASI has captured several valuable learnings to enhance the quality of the data for future reporting and to improve CoC Criterion 1.7, and these will be implemented as part of ASI’s Standards Revision between 2020 − 2022.

What it shows

The Sankey diagram shows nine model stages of the IAI’s Global Mass Flow model:

  • Mining,
  • Refining,
  • Production,
  • Fabrication,
  • Manufacturing,
  • Use,
  • End-Of-Life Management,
  • Scrap Management and
  • Disposal & Incineration.

Figure 1: A picture of the Sankey diagram showing the model stages and the ASI Material quantities expressed in aluminium content in kilotonnes. Click to open large image and see more detail on volumes.

In the ASI Chain of Custody Standard, the model stages are comprised of:

  • Bauxite Mining,
  • Alumina Refining,
  • Aluminium Smelting,
  • Aluminium Re-melting/Refining (recycling),
  • Casthouses and
  • Post-Casthouse (covering the semi-fabrication and subsequent manufacturing stages of aluminium after metal is produced through primary smelting or recycling at a Casthouse).

All quantities of materials flowing between stages are expressed in units of mass. The ‘green stripe’ in the diagram represents ASI Material.

The interactive Sankey diagram

By hovering your mouse over the material streams in this interactive Sankey diagram, the ASI and Non-ASI Material quantities can be seen and compared. Using the timeline bar below the diagram, the years from 2018 through to 2019 can be seen.

While currently only 2019 ASI data is available, new data will be added annually so as to show the changes in ASI CoC Material production within the context of the global aluminium supply chain.

To see the full IAI Global Mass Flow model, which visualises global and regional flows from 1962 through to projections out to 2050, visit: https://alucycle.world-aluminium.org/public-access/

What it means

Key points:

  • The green stripe shows ASI Material flows in the context of global supply and demand. Each step shows the aluminium content of bauxite, alumina etc. (i.e., not total bauxite or alumina production).
  • ASI Material is produced, transformed and received by Entities that are Certified against both the ASI Performance Standard and ASI Chain of Custody (CoC) Standard.
  • In 2019, there were 13 dual-Certified Entities and they reported their CoC data for that year. Eleven of these were Certified during the course of 2019, meaning that ASI Material Flows do not represent a full year production.  ASI Material may also be a subset of the Entity’s total production.
  • The 2019 data shows ASI Material flows are highest so far from bauxite mining, with each subsequent supply chain stage reducing in volume. This is to be expected, as available supply must be first built to enable the subsequent supply chain stage to source.
  • In 2020, there were 28 dual-Certified Entities, more than double the number in 2019. Data from each reporting year will be added annually, enabling year-on-year growth to be shown.  A measurable increase in the flow of ASI Material is thus expected to be shown in the next reporting cycle.

The number of reporting Entities for each supply chain stage in 2019 is shown below:

With this first set of published data, ASI demonstrates a commitment to transparency and whole of supply chain uptake and impact.  We look forward to building on these important beginnings and invite all interested supply chain actors and stakeholders to contribute to this momentum.

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