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Signing off - Wayne Osborn
This is my last report on Alcoa’s sustainability performance. I believe our company, through its people, makes a valuable and positive contribution to Australia and the communities in which we operate.
I feel very privileged to have worked with so many excellent people over the years and I take this opportunity to thank them and wish them well as they continue Alcoa’s journey.
I am also very pleased to hand over to my successor Alan Cransberg. Alan is an Australian returning home from a successful career with Alcoa in the United States.
Alan takes the helm after a period of growth and prosperity, in which we’ve seen major investments across the resources sector. This investment will underpin the aluminium industry’s future for the next 20 years.
The global outlook for aluminium is strong with world demand expected to almost double by 2020. The challenge ahead is to continue to manage our response to demand responsibly and the greatest challenge is climate change and the need to respond to it.
Over a decade ago Alcoa recognised the significance of climate change and took action to reduce the company’s greenhouse gas emissions. Now the public debate has moved from whether climate change is occurring to what we can do to address it.
I believe new technology is helping reduce emissions however more needs to be done.
Alcoa in Australia supports the introduction of a properly designed national emissions trading scheme that includes all major emitters and sectors and allows Australian industry to grow and thrive.
Such a scheme can deliver real environmental outcomes at the global level by promoting investment in greenhouse efficient technologies.
It is critical that any scheme pass the fundamental test of reducing global emissions and facilitating a world-wide response to a truly all encompassing challenge. Unless it does so, it’s not addressing the problem we collectively face – after all we are all part of a global community.
Wayne Osborn
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