FIRST, a robotics community that prepares young people for the future, has announced Novelis as a FIRST Strategic Partner. 

Novelis is a leading sustainable aluminium solutions provider and the world leader in aluminium rolling and recycling. 

The company has supported FIRST through a variety of meaningful initiatives, financial support, and in-kind donations of Novelis aluminium for 10 years. 

Novelis is now expanding its support of FIRST through this strategic partnership with a goal to work with FIRST to inspire youth around the world to be environmental stewards and champion sustainability in their communities.

“Over the past decade, Novelis has been inspired by the ingenuity and passion for STEM and sustainability FIRST and all of its participants embody,” said Suzanne Lindsay-Walker, vice president of sustainability, Novelis. 

“FIRST is developing future leaders who champion safety, teamwork and innovation, making this partner a perfect cultural fit for us at Novelis. On behalf of Novelis and our global workforce, we are excited to grow our partnership, collaborate with our fellow Strategic Partners, and help FIRST expand upon its worthy mission.”

Novelis joins more than 20 other organisations (including one federal agency) that have achieved the top-tier recognition for sponsorship of FIRST through their generous and impactful support. Together, these strategic partners provide significant funding, mentorship, volunteerism, equipment, and more to enhance the reach and overall impact of FIRST.

“We are thrilled to announce that Novelis has expanded its longtime support of FIRST, and is now officially a Strategic Partner,” said Chris Moore, CEO, FIRST. 

“We admire Novelis’ commitment to sustainability, and we are excited to work collaboratively with them to inspire our community of talented and driven young people to solve the most pressing issues that our society is facing related to sustainability. Through this partnership, we’ll be able to build STEM talent pipelines, and show youth the types of rewarding careers they can pursue at global manufacturing companies like Novelis.”

Throughout their 10 years of support, Novelis has supported FIRST globally in a multitude of impactful ways, including hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of in-kind support in the form of aluminium for the FIRST Robotics Competition Kit of Parts; workshops and scholarships for youth in Asia; financial support of teams and events in Europe; team growth and retention in South America; financial support and mentorship of teams in North America, and special grant programs for teams championing recycling in their communities.

For more information about FIRST programs and sponsorship opportunities, contact development@firstinspires.org.