European aluminium industry sets new objectives for the next decade

The Sustainability Roadmap to 2025 launched today by the European aluminium industry paves the way for the sector to maximise its contribution to a more sustainable future in Europe. Promoting a new and ambitious set of voluntary commitments, the Roadmap will drive the industry’s agenda to further enhance its commitment to environmental stewardship, promote innovative products for sustainable lifestyles and play an active role in economic growth and job creation.

The aluminium sector is already at the forefront of industry efforts to promote sustainability and has a proven track record of improvements, having closely monitored its performance across a range of indicators since the late 1990s. Moreover, aluminium is increasingly seen as the material of choice in key markets, from light and fuel-efficient cars, to energy efficient buildings and resource-efficient packaging. Commenting on the industry’s Sustainability Roadmap to 2025, Chairman of European Aluminium and CEO of Constellium Pierre Vareille commented “This Roadmap represents another major milestone for the aluminium industry, setting out fresh and ambitious commitments which will guide the industry over the next decade. Not only does it provide concrete means to fully unlock the potential of aluminium as a key driver of a low carbon and resource-efficient Europe, it also gives a holistic industry perspective on how to achieve EU sustainability and competitiveness objectives. In terms of what comes next, it will be our industry’s ambition to lead Europe’s sustainable future coupled with continued and close collaboration with our customers, EU policy-makers and partners that will make our Roadmap a reality.”

Speaking during the first session of the day dedicated to interactive dialogue between the aluminium industry and its customers, Professor Michael Stacey, Architect and Chair of Architecture and Director of the Institute of Architecture and the University of Nottingham stated “Architecture is a field where the human’s creativity finds its expression at the service of people’s comfort and lifestyle. As architects and engineers continue to strive to make buildings which are less energy intensive to operate, increasing attention is being paid to environmental impacts: this is where aluminium has huge potential to deliver value to Europe in terms of leadership in sustainable and innovative products and towards the creation of smarter cities”.

Mr. Sorin Moisa, Member of the European Parliament, commented, “The European aluminium industry has taken a landmark step towards a more sustainable future. Not only is it committing to new and ambitious targets in a number of key areas, such as environmental stewardship, sustainable lifestyles, and community engagement, it is also undertaking the actions needed to make it happen. We must not forget that with a strong industrial basis the aluminium sector provides many skilled jobs for our citizens and makes a significant contribution to economic growth. We must continue to recognise the industry’s economic and societal role for Europe and champion steps, like the Roadmap, which will unlock even greater potential.”