“Aluminium is a critical enabler of sustainable economic development,” Miles Prosser, Secretary General at IAI

Miles Prosser heads the International Aluminium Institute and is the key spokesperson. In addition to overall co-ordination of the IAI work program and governance issues, he also manages the work programme of the Communications & Promotions Committee.

Let us hear from him on green initiatives in the global aluminium industry to achieve a sustainable future.

AlCircle: What parameters drive the sustainability initiatives of the IAI and your member companies?

Miles Prosser: The IAI has always existed to promote solutions to sustainability issues. Decarbonisation is the most important issue, but we must also focus on other ESG issues. Many aluminium producers are already pioneering technological solutions that reduce their environmental footprint without compromising product quality. Aluminium companies are developing technologies such as inert anode electrolysis and automatic sorting of recycled aluminium alloys and making broad-scale investments in technologies such as renewable electricity generation and electrification of thermal processes. At the International Aluminium Institute (IAI), we're focused on creating pathways and fostering collaborative partnerships that enable such innovations to be trialled and tested while maintaining or advancing further the quality of our products. With the work our members are doing on workplace safety, spent pot lining and bauxite residue, we are tackling the full suite of sustainability issues. By continuing to focus on all the areas of sustainability and engaging with key stakeholders, the IAI will help the aluminium industry shape a better tomorrow.

AlCircle: As per the records maintained by IAI, how much potential does aluminium have for building a sustainable future?

Miles Prosser: Aluminium is a critical enabler of sustainable economic development. Lightweight, strong, durable, conductive and recyclable aluminium products are essential for a low-carbon future. They provide energy-efficient and carbon-saving solutions to high-emitting but critical service-providing sectors, including energy, transportation, construction, food, and pharmaceuticals. Aluminium demand is set to increase at a substantial rate going forward, driven largely by a growing appetite for environmentally friendly solutions in transport, infrastructure, energy, and food security. According to a recent study conducted by business intelligence analysts CRU International on behalf of the IAI, aluminium demand is forecast to grow by 33.3 million tonnes in the following decade, from 86.2 million tonnes in 2020 to 119.5 million tonnes in 2030. Transportation, construction, packaging and the electrical sectors are the four key sectors that will drive demand, accounting for 75% of the total metal required. Around 37% of this growth is expected to come from China, followed by 26% from Asia (ex. China), 15% from North America and 14% from Europe. Around 75% of the almost 1.5 billion tonnes of aluminium ever produced is still in productive use today! Aluminium will continue to be a very important element in enabling and supporting environmentally sustainable solutions in many sectors.

AlCircle: What are the probable ways of restricting the outflow of bauxite residue, and what steps are associated industries taking to divert it from being stored?

Miles Prosser: Demand for aluminium is expected to grow, with supply coming from both primary and recycled sources. This means bauxite residue will continue to be generated. The IAI estimates that, by 2050, there will be as much as 10 billion tonnes of bauxite residue generated globally. The industry has been looking at various ways to close the circularity loop through more sustainable use of bauxite residue. The industry also continues to strive for Bauxite Residue Storage Facilities (BRSF) that are managed effectively until closure and rehabilitation to make them able to support vegetation and other land uses.

Our recently published Sustainable Bauxite Residue Management Guidance explores and explains the lifecycle of bauxite residue, and relevant case studies show how stakeholders can play an active role in its sustainable management. It also highlights the ongoing work in developing innovative uses of the material.

It is estimated that 3 million tonnes of bauxite residue are used annually in the production of Portland Clinker Cement. And there are other uses too such as road construction, iron production, brick production and soil improvement etc. Bauxite residue can be used as an alternative raw material in industrial processes, especially where traditional materials may become scarcer.

AlCircle: As a large number of companies are aiming for net-zero emissions, do you think recycled aluminium will surpass primary aluminium use?

Miles Prosser: In 2018, global demand for aluminium was 95 million tonnes; two thirds (64 million tonnes) of which was met by primary aluminium (produced from ore) and one third (31 million tonnes) from recycled aluminium. Rapid population and economic growth over the coming decades means global demand for aluminium will increase by up to 80% by 2050. This demand will be met by recycled and primary metal. Despite increased projected recycled metal supply, IAI estimates that up to 90 million tonnes of primary aluminium will be required per annum in 2050. In the most current reference scenario, IAI estimates that there will be a 50/50 split between recycled and primary aluminium in 2044. By 2050 we estimate recycling to surpass primary by 10 million tonnes. Even with this forecast, we still expect an increase in primary production.

AlCircle: What are the possible ways to curtail the climate depreciation caused by energy-intensive industries like aluminium?

Miles Prosser: Based on IAI’s unrivalled data and leading analysis of the global aluminium industry in 2021, the IAI released the Aluminium Sector Greenhouse Gas Pathways to 2050, in which we mapped out three comprehensive GHG emissions reductions pathways critical to the sector over the next three decades. Here are the pathways:

Pathway 1 - Electricity decarbonisation

More than 60% of the aluminium sector’s 1.1 billion tonnes of CO2e emissions (2018) are from the production of electricity consumed during the smelting process. Decarbonised power generation and the deployment of carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) offer the most significant opportunity to reduce emissions to near zero by 2050.

Pathway 2 - Direct emissions reduction

Emissions from fuel combustion make up 15% of the industry’s emissions. Here, electrification, fuel switching to green hydrogen and CCUS offer the most credible pathways. Process emissions make up a further 15% and require new technologies, such as inert anodes. These emissions and those in transport and raw materials will need to be reduced by 50-60% from a Business as Usual (BAU) baseline scenario by 2050.

Pathway 3 - Recycling & resource efficiency

Increasing collection rates to near 100% as well as other resource efficiency progress by 2050 would reduce the need for primary aluminium by 20% compared to BAU, which in turn will cut the sector’s emissions by an additional 300 million tonnes of CO2e per year – a figure second in magnitude only to the first pathway, electricity decarbonisation.

We have also recently worked with the Mission Possible Partnership to map out a transition strategy for the aluminium industry to decarbonise in the next decade. The pathways will be a mix of technologies, including existing, new, under-development and yet-to-be-developed solutions. The specific decisions made by aluminium industry actors will depend on various factors, such as: unique energy endowments, raw material and scrap availability, regional policies, investment options and the availability, speed and cost of technology development and implementation. In the end, it will take sector-wide and inter-sectoral partnerships to address this large-scale emissions reduction challenge while satisfying the growing demand for aluminium.

AlCircle: Have you associated with other global aluminium forums to propagate sustainability drives throughout the value chain?

Miles Prosser: Central to IAI’s work is providing a global forum for collaboration with other industry associations and sustainability oversight organisations. We work closely with the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI), an organisation dedicated to setting sustainability standards and certifying both the industry and customers. We also collaborate with the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), an organisation that helps to create a safe, just and sustainable world through responsibly produced metals and minerals. Part of our role at IAI is to raise awareness of success stories and their positive impact, and engage with suppliers, customers, governments, and other stakeholders so that technologies can be implemented as quickly and efficiently as possible. The IAI has a record of transparency that builds trust with stakeholders; and a willingness to collaborate along the value chain and between producers. For this reason, we work very closely with country and regional associations around the world. You can find some of our collaborators here.