ALFED has announced its plans to launch two new member initiatives to support the sector’s transition to Net Zero at last week’s inaugural EnvironmentAl Strategy Day. The move will support the supply chain’s knowledge surrounding environmental, social and governance (ESG) and increase wider awareness of aluminium outside of the sector.   

An ALFED-accredited ESG officer training programme will provide resources and support representatives from ALFED members in becoming proficient in ESG to support with sustainability transition. While an ‘Aluminium Ambassadors’ initiative, in partnership with Bloodhound Education, will train and equip professionals from across the industry to go into educational and corporate settings to deliver informative talks and run EnvironmentAI trained workshops, designed to spark subject and career interest. 

The EnvironmentAl Strategy Day, hosted at BMA House in London, welcomed more than 120 members, guests, Government representatives, industry experts and sustainable solutions suppliers to share insights and discuss the fundamental issues surrounding reaching Net Zero in the aluminium sector. Alongside a keynote address from Lord Rupert Redesdale, the event hosted a series of panel discussions considering greenshoring, carbon leakage,eliminating and sorting waste.

Lord Rupert Redesdale, keynote speaker at the event, commented: “ALFED’s sustainability strategy day was packed full of insights from Government and the industry on the policies needed to deal with the opportunities and threats that carbon and the wider environmental agenda will place on the aluminium sector. It was a well-attended day that was really valuable to those there.”

Charles Keen, board member at ALFED, commented: “My plea to UK government is to engage substantially with industry on Net Zero, not via a public consultation, but directly with the strategically important industrially sectors.

“The government needs to have an industrial strategy that enables Net Zero. It’s not about subsidies, it’s about government engagement and action, facilitating and enabling – making it easy, cutting through the complexity.”