On April 17th, the 2025 SMM Aluminum Industry Conference and Expo, hosted by Shanghai Metals Market, was held in Suzhou. Over 3,000 professionals from the aluminum industry chain both at home and abroad attended this grand event. Dr. Fiona Solomon, the CEO of the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI), was invited to deliver a video address at the opening ceremony. Dr. Fianna said, "It's a great honor to communicate with all of you at the 2025 SMM Aluminium Conference and Expo. Unfortunately, I can't be present in person." This year marks the 20th anniversary of the conference, and ASI has also reached an important milestone this year - it has gone through a 10-year journey since its establishment in 2015.
Dr. Fiona first introduced ASI. ASI collaborates with producers, users and stakeholders in the global aluminum value chain to jointly drive change. We are committed to enhancing the sustainability of the entire supply chain, covering everything from bauxite mining to downstream users. Our key areas of sustainable development include: climate, circular economy, nature conservation and social responsibility. To this end, we have implemented a set of standards and certification systems covering performance and the chain of custody. At present, ASI has nearly 400 members and has issued over 500 certifications in 63 countries.
After ten years of efforts, the ASI standard project has laid an important foundation in the aluminum value chain. But as sustainability challenges become increasingly urgent, we still need to redouble our efforts. Looking towards 2030, the ASI strategy focuses on six major areas, aiming to: continuously expand the scale and drive systemic changes in the industry; Enhance the value of ASI certification information to members and stakeholders; Continuously optimize the ASI standard system in the context where we are all facing rapid changes. Last month, we initiated the once-every-five-year standard revision process and will formulate the new version of the standard for 2027.
China is of vital importance to the aluminium industry and ASI. 22% of ASI's members have their headquarters in China, which reflects the firm commitment of the Chinese aluminum industry to sustainable development and its follow-up to market expectations. This is also highly consistent with the policy direction of the Chinese government. As you know, in March this year, relevant departments of the Chinese government jointly issued a number of documents to promote the further integration of the ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) concept into the aluminum industry and its value chain. This includes strategies such as enhancing compliance capabilities and levels, accelerating the low-carbon transformation of the industry, and building a secure and resilient international aluminum supply chain. It is particularly mentioned to follow internationally recognized standards and guidelines in overseas investment. We believe that these requirements are highly consistent with the concepts and goals of ASI. We look forward to more Chinese enterprises joining us, jointly demonstrating responsibility and commitment, and building a responsible global aluminum value chain.
Dr. Fiona concluded by pointing out that sustainability challenges cannot be addressed alone and expressing gratitude to the existing members of ASI for their efforts. For enterprises that have not yet joined, please contact ASI. We will fully support your journey towards sustainable development in the aluminum industry.
