Community Consultation
Alcoa facilities are an integral part of the social fabric in the communities where we operate. Our neighbors rely on us, and we rely upon them. We cannot expect to grow and prosper without the support of our plant communities. When these communities have a problem, it is also our problem. We have learned that it is much easier to resolve an issue—theirs or ours—with partners in our neighborhoods than with complete strangers.
We have excellent examples of relationship building in many locations where we operate. However, we must continue to improve so that our work with the community generates lasting value. The Alcoa Community Framework helps us do this by establishing a consistent level of community citizenship for every Alcoa operating location.
Relationship building is a process that takes time and consistent effort. We believe it will lead us to become the best company in each of our communities.
Sustainability Advisory Committee
Alcoa Canada Global Primary Products established a Sustainability Advisory Committee in 2006. Its mission is to counsel the organization on how to best integrate the sustainability concerns and expectations of Québec society into its operations. The committee is made up of 10 external members from various areas of activity and five representatives of Alcoa management. The group, which meets four or five times a year, discusses the various sustainability issues they have established as priorities. Alcoa holds a presentation on the subject retained and participants then proceed to comment and make suggestions during a group workshop. These comments and suggestions are analyzed and recommendations made to Alcoa Canada Global Primary Products management. Alcoa then responds to the committee regarding ideas that have been retained:
Issues covered by the committee have been:
- Community support
- Wealth creation and local procurement
- Succession management
- Greenhouse gas emissions
- Communication
- The company’s Sustainability website
- Employee engagement
- Work/life balance
Several actions (PDF) have been undertaken by Alcoa Canada Global Primary Products as a result of these discussions.
Baie-Comeau Information Exchange Committee
The Information Exchange Committee was formed in June 2009 and gathers key stakeholders from various areas of activity. The committee assists Alcoa with its projects, fostering the integration of local concerns in the design and implementation of our initiatives. It is particularly involved in the Baie-Comeau Smelter modernization project. Anyone interested in this major undertaking can follow its progress on the website created for this purpose.
Community Advisory Committees
As part of its environmental strategy, Alcoa recommended in 2000 that all its facilities create a Community Advisory Committee (CAC) to ensure a direct link with the main community stakeholders in the economic, environmental, educational, agricultural, political, and health sectors. Several Alcoa Canada Global Primary Products facilities had already established ties with their community, and the CAC initiative helped formalize existing structures.
The CACs, which meet once or twice a year, provide the facilities with the opportunity to share their progress and discuss major issues, while taking stock with important stakeholders of the community’s objectives and concerns. Furthermore, the CACs play an important advisory role in establishing priorities and consensus regarding community requests to Alcoa Foundation.
Multi-Stakeholder Committee on PAHs
Because the Söderberg technology used in part of the aluminum production process at the Baie-Comeau Smelter generates polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and following a recommendation issued by public health officials, the facility established a multi-stakeholder committee in 2001 to support its emissions reduction and monitoring initiatives. The committee, comprising representatives from the City of Baie-Comeau, public health organizations, the Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs, the Conseil régional de l’environnement de la Côte-Nord, the workers’ union, and the facility’s management team, issues recommendations and closely monitors the progress of PAH emission reduction initiatives.
Discussion Group with the Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA)
Immediately upon its start-up, the Deschambault Smelter established a discussion group with the Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA), the local farmers’ association. The meetings, held two to three times a year, ensure a constant flow of information on the results of the environmental analyses conducted in the area neighboring the facility, while providing an opportunity to discuss issues of common interest.
Community Consultation Committee–Bécancour Industrial Park
The Bécancour Smelter joined this committee, originally established by a group of chemical companies from the Bécancour industrial park, a few years ago to strengthen its ties with the local community. The committee, which meets about four times a year, is made up of representatives from area businesses and the community. Local residents present their questions and concerns, which are often related to safety and the environment. In return, the companies share information, commit to actions and disclose their results in a spirit of open collaboration. Because all the parties gain a better understanding of the expectations and interests of others, a number of situations have been quickly resolved without conflict.
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