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October 30, 2000

Experts Laud Alcoa's Environmental, Health and Safety Achievements

PITTSBURGH--October 30, 2000-- Nine Businesses Across the Globe Garner Awards for Innovative Approaches

A panel that included prominent experts has awarded nine Alcoa operating units from around the world with the company's 2000 Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) Achievement Awards. The individual operating units were recognized for innovative projects ranging from saving land and water resources to promoting the benefits of safe behavior on and off the job.

"These awards recognize outstanding performances in the EHS arena and contribute to Alcoa's unwavering commitment to work safely in a manner that promotes the health and well-being of both the individual and the environment," said Alain Belda, President and CEO of Alcoa. "A distinguished panel of experts from outside the company served on the selection committee to identify these efforts."

Alcoa created the EHS Achievement Awards in 1997 to pay tribute to individuals and teams who have demonstrated an exemplary commitment to EHS. The awards are among the highest honor that an individual or team can earn within the company for outstanding environmental, health and safety performance. The judging is based on several criteria including sustainability, creativity and innovation, and integration into other business processes.

Remarkable Achievement
The highest honor was the David Judd Award, given to Alcoa World Alumina - Australia in recognition of its Alcoa Landcare Project. Alcoa operations in Western Australia and Victoria worked with state agencies and local groups to repair degraded land, conserve biodiversity and protect regional waterways. This is only the second time Alcoa has presented this award, which is named after the late David Judd, an Alcoa World Alumina-Australia operations manager noted for his creativity and pioneering attitude.

A "Special Award for Environmental Product Innovation" went to Kawneer Company for the 1600 Power Wall. In partnership with BP Solarex, Kawneer, an Alcoa company headquartered in Norcross, Ga., developed the first fully tested and integrated solar electric curtain wall, a silent, pollution-free energy source.

Other award-winning Alcoa operating units earning recognition include:
» Alcoa Extruded Construction Products, Plant City, Fla., Unity, Consistency and Ethics: Eight locations of this business unit, including six that recently joined Alcoa through acquisition, worked together rapidly and successfully to bring each location's EHS program up to Alcoa's standards.

» Alcoa Fujikura Ltd., Mexico Operations, Food Safety Program: This business significantly reduced incidents of foodborne illness in a process that involved 25 plants and 10 food concessionaires.

» Alcoa Technical Center (ATC), New Kensington, Pa., ATC Environmental Management System: ATC developed comprehensive written programs to ensure compliance with EHS standards in a complex and constantly changing R&D environment. Specific best practices cited by internal auditing procedures included facility management, waste and chemical release management and water/wastewater management.

» Alcoa World Alumina - Atlantic (2 awards), Suralco LLC, Suriname, Enhancing Health and Human Development: In response to economic problems in this small South American country, Suralco established three clinics to meet the health care needs of employees, retirees and their dependents. Paranam Operations, Suriname, Carbon Dioxide Neutralization System: The Paranam alumina plant neutralizes alkaline wastewater by using carbon dioxide from the lime kiln stack gases, rather than the standard sulfuric acid. The new process is safer, reduces carbon dioxide emissions, and forms environment-friendly sodium bicarbonate.

» Alcoa Primary Metals, Mt. Holly, S.C., Benchmark Recycling Program: The formation and empowering of a Pollution Prevention Team helped reduce waste significantly and improved the plant's recycling program.

» Alcoa Rigid Packaging, Warrick (Ind.) Operations, Cold Mill Filtration Improvement and Waste Elimination: Warrick Operations pioneered a new sieve distillation technology that eliminates contaminated soil. This process eliminates two million pounds of solid waste annually, improves industrial hygiene, improves product quality and equipment reliability, and lowers costs. It also improved safety by eliminating the need to manually lift 50-pound bags.

» Latin America and Alcoa Aluminio S.A. (3 awards), EHS and APS Integration: A structured process incorporated EHS improvements throughout the business unit into the Alcoa Business System (ABS), a methodology to eliminate waste and empower people to raise productivity.
Alumar - Electrode Area, Searching for Zero Waste: A team identified and minimized waste in a range of areas, from improvements in housekeeping to reductions in smelter waste.
Pocos de Caldas, Brazil, Behavioral Safety Process: This project targeted specific behaviors to change the local culture to a more safety-conscious one - on and off the job.

Independent Experts
The selection committee was comprised of senior EHS managers from within Alcoa and a panel of external, independent experts, including:
» Robert Brady, social awareness portfolio manager, Soloman Smith Barney
» Rick Bunch, director, business education, World Resources Institute
» Dr. Mark Cullen, professor of medicine and epidemiology, Yale School of Medicine
» Dr. Fred Pohland, professor at the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Pittsburgh
» Dr. Gary J. Powers, vice president, Design Sciences, Inc., and professor at the School of Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University

About Alcoa
Founded in 1888, Alcoa is the world's leading producer of aluminum and alumina, and a major participant in all segments of the industry: mining, refining, smelting, fabricating and recycling. Alcoa serves customers worldwide in the packaging, consumer, automotive, aerospace, construction and other markets with a great variety of fabricated and finished products. The company has over 300 operating locations in 36 countries.