Climate Protection
Building upon our strong leadership in reducing GHG emissions within the aluminum industry, we have set an ambition to achieve net-zero GHG emissions across our global operations by 2050 for direct (scope 1) and indirect (scope 2) emissions.
Our path to achieving this ambition includes increasing the use of renewable energy in our operations, portfolio decarbonization, and developing new technologies that are important to unlocking decarbonization at scale and bringing them to the market over time. Carbon dioxide represents most of our GHG emissions.
Our endeavor to reach net-zero GHG emissions by 2050 for direct and indirect emissions aligns with our strategic priority to advance sustainably. It also complements our short- and mid-term GHG reduction targets.
Introduced in 2020, our short- and mid-term goals align our GHG (direct + indirect) emissions reduction targets with the below 2º C decarbonization path defined in the Paris Climate Accord. We are committed to reducing our GHG emission intensity by 30 percent by 2025 and 50 percent by 2030 from a 2015 baseline. We achieved a 23.9 percent reduction from the baseline through 2021. Our total 2021 carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions equaled 21.8 million metric tons, of which 17.4 million metric tons were direct emissions. This represents a 9.1 percent decrease in total emissions and a 10.7 percent decline in intensity compared to 2020. The decreases were primarily driven by the curtailment of the Intalco smelter and a continued focus on operational stability and optimization.
Carbon Dioxide Equivalent Emissions
Carbon Dioxide Equivalent Emissions
| Direct (Million metric tons) |
Indirect (Million metric tons) |
Total CO2e Emissions (Million metric tons) |
Emissions Intensity (Million metric tons of CO2e per metric ton of production) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 16.2 | 5.8 | 22.0 | 5.21 |
| 2018 | 17.5 | 6.7 | 24.2 | 6.60 |
| 2019 | 17.7 | 6.6 | 24.3 | 6.96 |
| 2020 | 18.5 | 5.4 | 23.9 | 6.06 |
| 2021 | 17.4 | 4.4 | 21.8 | 5.41 |
Learn more in the full 2021 Alcoa Sustainability Report.
Case Studies
Alcoa advances sustainably with recycled aluminum, produced using renewable energy
Learn about Alcoa’s 100% renewable electricity powered induction furnace in Mosjøen Norway that recycles aluminum scrap for a sustainable future.
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The plot thickens with less fertilizer
Learn why Alcoa halved fertilizer use during jarrah forest mine rehabilitation and how it is enabling greater plant diversity.
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Smelter Leaves Smaller Waste Footprint
Learn how Alcoa finds every opportunity to reduce, reuse and recycle, resulting in waste being diverted from landfills through a multi-year sustainability strategy.
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The Heat Is Off
Learn how Alcoa is eliminating energy waste and finding renewable energy sources including solar walls to warm its buildings in Canada.
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