The Russian aluminium giant Rusal, which is also among the biggest producers of aluminium worldwide, has risen to the top of the annual Donor Forum association ranking for corporate social responsibility.

RUSAL received the highest rating possible and was placed in the A + category, as determined by the findings of the study of company social investment systems. A competition for corporate social activities was launched by Donor Forum this year as well. The expert jury gave two of RUSAL's social programmes top marks, and both took home awards.

The programme "Sustainable Development of Social Responsibility Territories" came in second place in the category "The Best Corporate Social Investment Program in the Territories in the Context of Sustainable Development and Business Strategy."

This is a significant initiative of RUSAL's social investments that aim to help develop local communities and territories to enhance the standard and improve the quality of life in such areas. In particular, RUSAL allocated more than a third of its total investments in 2021 to the education sector, repairing more than 40 schools and other educational institutions across its 11 zones of accountability.

In the category "The Best Program (Project) Promoting the Professionalization of the Non-Profit Sector," RUSAL's project to assist animal shelters in the cities under its jurisdiction came in third. The experts noted that a special version of the Handbook of the Head of the Shelter for Homeless Animals contains advice and techniques developed within the framework of the programme. Not only will shelter managers find this manual valuable and pertinent, but also representatives of NGOs, local government officials, volunteers, and everyone else interested in the issue of homeless animals.

Rustam Zakiyev, the Director of Rusal's Business Sustainability Department, said, "Rusal has been participating in the competition since its inception. For us, the competition is a comprehensive expert assessment of our social programs and investments and an opportunity to find growth points and further development of social investments as a vector for sustainable business development."

The association of grant-giving organizations "Donor Forum" annually compiles the All-Russian Competition for Socially Responsive Business "Leaders of Corporate Charity" based on the findings of yearly research of Charitable Programs and Social Investments of Companies. Participants in the study include businesses with yearly revenue of over 100 million rubles that are active in Russia.