In 2019, we engaged a third-party expert to conduct a sustainability materiality analysis to identify our environmental, social and governance risks and opportunities. We have used this information to inform our business and sustainability strategies, more effectively engage with stakeholders and ensure the relevance of our external reporting.
In 2020, we revisited the materiality analysis to determine if our stakeholders had a different view of our business priorities, considering the significant disruptions caused by the global pandemic. There were changes in both issues and prioritization.
We did not consider it necessary to perform a new analysis in 2021 since it was a transition year as the world was recovering from the impacts of the pandemic. We plan to perform a new materiality analysis of sustainability indicators in 2022 to reflect the recovery from COVID-19.
We considered our material issues to be those that internal and external stakeholders ranked as four or higher on a scale of one (not important) to five (critical). The top 14 issues form the basis of our 2021 sustainability reporting.
2021 Material Issues
| Rank | Topic | Boundary | Report Section |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Occupational health and safety | All locations | Safety and Health |
| 2 | Ethics, transparency and good governance | All locations | Governance, Ethics and Compliance |
| 3 | Regulatory compliance | All locations | Legal Compliance Environmental Compliance |
| 4 | Human rights | All locations, particularly those in high-risk areas | Human Rights |
| 5 | Waste management | All locations | Waste and Spills |
| 6 | Local commitment with communities | All locations | Shared Value Creation |
| 7 | Biodiversity and land rehabilitation | All locations, particularly our mines | Biodiversity and Mine Rehabilitation |
| 8 | Climate change | All locations, particularly our refineries, smelters and casthouses | Climate Protection |
| 9 | Water stewardship | All locations, particularly those in water-stressed areas | Water |
| 10 | Air quality | All locations | Emissions |
| 11 | Energy use and efficiency | All locations | Energy |
| 12 | Economic performance | All locations | 2020 Annual Report |
| 13 | Indigenous and land connected people | All locations, especially Australia, Brazil and Suriname | Human Rights |
| 14 | Impoundement management | Our mines and refineries | Impoundment Management |
Learn more in the full 2021 Alcoa Sustainability Report.