Overview

Alcan B.C. has been at the forefront of corporate-wide efforts to clearly define what “sustainability” means in the context of aluminum production, and to translate the concept into action.

In recent years, the focus has shifted from cost reduction and compliance to integrated value-maximizing efforts that typically have economic, environmental, and social dimensions.

AIMS and its Components
Today, this approach is mandated and facilitated corporate-wide through the Alcan Integrated Management System (AIMS). AIMS provides high-level standards, practices, and tools that are now consistently used to pursue broad value creation and sustainability across Alcan Inc.’s global operations. AIMS has four components:

Value-Based Management – a methodology for the disciplined assessment of alternatives when capital investments and other strategic resource-allocation decisions are made;

EHS FIRST – a set of mandatory directives and standards which guide program implementation and procedural improvements, through which environmental and health and safety performance is systematically improved;

Continuous Improvement – a suite of tools and expertise through which waste reduction, better process efficiency and improved performance against customer criteria are achieved; and

People Advantage – human resource principles and practices which reflect Alcan’s commitment to be a preferred employer, and relate to work environments, training and development opportunities, and compensation and recognition.

Integrated Management at Alcan B.C.
AIMS aligns well with what are often long-standing initiatives and management approaches at Alcan B.C. The operations’ achievements in integrated management are reflected in third-party certifications.

Alcan B.C.’s environmental risk management system has been ISO 14001 certified since 2001. And in 2003, Alcan B.C. achieved integrated certification encompassing ISO 14001 (environment), ISO 9001 (product quality), and OHSAS 18001 (health and safety).

Alcan B.C. continues to work towards more fully integrated management, and value creation across all parameters, through measures such as the ongoing transition to a single operational unit to address all EHS-related matters.

For more insight, see Alcan B.C.’s annual performance reports.