Message from the President
Sustainable actions
In 2010, Alcoa Canada Global Primary Products (GPP Canada) reached new milestones in its dedicated and determined progression towards sustainability. We believe that the actions we take today will have a positive, long-term impact on our operations, on our relationships with the people in the communities where we live and work, and on the environment.
That said, we do not presume to have reached the pinnacle of sustainability, since it is more of a journey than a destination. Our people understand this and refuse to rest on past laurels. The 3,200 women and men who make up our company in Québec are driven by the conviction that we can go further and do better when it comes to sustainability. Here are some of our 2010 achievements, which we plan to further advance and improve upon going forward.
Our place in the environment
Resources are only available in limited quantities, and each can be put to countless uses by an infinite number of consumers. This is why we strive to eliminate waste, foster the optimal use of everything we consume, and diligently seek to reduce our environmental footprint. More than just words, our sustainability approach is generating concrete results such as the energy efficiency gains of over 600 GWh achieved over the last four years, including 91 GWh in 2010 alone; the recycling of used potliners, which went from 33% in 2009 to more than 85% last year; and the ongoing reduction in our GHG emissions, which surpasses the target set in our voluntary agreement with the government.
A little known fact is that our Baie-Comeau Smelter is located in the heart of the Manicouagan – Uapishka UNESCO World Bio-sphere Reserve (WBR). The close and fruitful collaboration between the managers of this reserve and our people in Baie-Comeau has become an example for other WBR managers around the world who share their lands with an industrial operation.
Our place in society
On the social front, our commitment focuses on our employees and home communities so that we can help build a healthy environment where the risks of injury are eliminated or controlled. With a recordable injury rate of 0.47 in 2010 – the lowest in GPP Canada history – it is apparent that our team’s efforts to implement a health and safety culture are generating inspiring results.
Beyond this statistic, however, lies the death of two of our people in January 2010. Our entire organization remains deeply affected. In a working environment like ours, all risks must be identified and managed to the highest degree, and this vigilance is a shared responsibility. Because health goes beyond the simple absence of illness, we plan to implement several initiatives in 2011 aimed at improving the well-being of our people, with a special focus on ergonomics.
The commitment of our employees towards our communities grows every year, as evidenced by their record 57% participation in activities surrounding the 5th annual Worldwide Month of Service in 2010. GPP Canada is, in fact, among the leaders in employee involvement among all the countries where Alcoa operates – proof of the indelible spirit of our people. These results rest as much on the individual enthusiasm of our employees as on solid and efficient programs deeply ingrained within our communities.
Since a significant portion of our employees will become eligible for retirement within the next five years, we are facing a new challenge: ensuring that the torch of social commitment, held high by our longstanding team members, continues to burn bright in the hands of the next generation so that we can preserve the foundations established in the Québec regions where we operate.
Our place in the economy
We consider ourselves an economic driver both in the province
of Québec and the communities where our operations are located.
GPP Canada generated economic spin-offs totalling $1.2 billion in Québec in 2010, in good part in outlying regions. We have been pleased to contribute, in our own way and to the extent possible, to the collective enrichment of Quebecers in the wake of the recession. We are particularly proud of our enduring relationships with the over 1,200 local suppliers with whom we not only do business but share sustainability values. In fact, in 2010, we launched an initiative to evaluate and assist a number of our suppliers in their own sustainability journey, as recommended by our Sustainability Advisory Committee.
Our place in the future
Our product has a promising future everywhere in the world. Aluminum is lightweight, flexible and can be recycled almost indefinitely. But we are far from being the only player in our markets, and competition is becoming increasingly fierce with the global economy. The expertise, taste for challenge, adaptability and indomitable courage of GPP Canada’s people are acknowledged throughout Alcoa and globally. These attributes will enable us to secure our future, continue to work with our communities to better their quality of life, and help improve the environment for current and future generations. Our commitment to sustainable action remains resolute for 2011.
Pierre Morin
President, Alcoa Canada
