Alcoa has established a globally recognised reputation for both environmental stewardship and corporate responsibility.
Alcoa aspires to be the best company in the world and to do this we must be the best neighbour in each community where we operate.
Alcoa is committed to building capacity within our own operations and the communities in which we work to create sustainable operations and sustainable and stronger communities with a shared future.
Stronger communities create opportunities for people and organisations to work together to bring about economic, social and environmental benefits for all of us.
Our community engagement commitment has two broad aspects:
- First, that we are accountable to our communities and that we have mechanisms to achieve this. We realise this through the establishment and ongoing work with Community Consultation Networks at each site.
- Second, that our operations add value to our community through our business activities and through our ability to create opportunity and build capacity in the community. We achieve this through our employees, through our 'Partnering Stronger Community' programs and through strategic use of Alcoa Foundation resources.
Alcoa recognises the close relationship between business sustainability and economic, social and environmental sustainability.
We are committed to ensure that our business activities contribute to broader community sustainability, and this is reflected in our commitment to economic, social and environmental performance.
Accountability to Community: Consultation
We are committed to working with the community to identify opportunities for future development that will ensure the vibrancy of the community and have established Community Consultation Networks (CCN), Stakeholder Reference Groups (SRG) or Community Advisory Boards (CAB) at each site across Western Australia, Victoria and New South Wales to aid ongoing, two-way communication and consultation with the communities where Alcoa operates.
The CCNs or CABs have an independent chairperson and are made up of interested community members. The groups meet regularly to discuss a range of issues of importance to the community including our Environmental, Health & Safety performance and our ‘Partnering Stronger Communities’ programs.
Environment Improvement Plans (EIP) form an essential part of business plans for each of Alcoa’s operating locations, by providing a public commitment to continual improvement in environmental performance.
An EIP details current environmental improvement initiatives and targets, outlines improvements accomplished in the past, explains the operating environment and gives information on site’s environment, health and safety systems of management. The EIP also provides advice on site community consultation processes, environmental activities with community partners, environmental education and public tours, and includes opportunities for comments and feedback.
Broad community consultation is an integral part of the Environment Improvement Plan process and all of Alcoa's sites have developed a robust process that engages key community stakeholders, State Government departments, and local government and media.
Community representatives sign-off on the plans which are then public records of the organisation and the community’s partnership on environmental improvement.
