Consequently, the company has adopted acomprehensive approach in the various aspects of its smelting process from utilisa­tion of resources to environmental impact mitigation.

The Environmental Manager of the company, Edward Arthur and the Environmental Control Officer, Edgard Tetteh, said these in re­sponse to questions from jour­nalists on the sideline of the 28th United Nations Framework Con­vention on Climate Change also known as Conference of Parties (COP) underway in Dubai, on the theme “Unite, Act, Deliver”.

Aluminium production is emissions-intensive with industry accounting for around two per cent of global greenhouse gas emis­sions.

Mr Arthur said VALCO had a comprehensive policy on how to become a green smelter which outlines a smartest commitment to environmental sustainability and defines specific targets for emis­sion reductions, energy efficiency improvements and waste manage­ment practices.

“Throughout the imple­mentation of these strategies, green house emission reduc­tions is what we considered by switching to cleaner fuels and improving energy efficiency across all operations.

It is worth noting that VALCO is among few industries in Ghana which have successfully quantified their greenhouse gas emissions and have their carbon footprint, this would help in Ghana’s Environ­mental Protection Agency Nation­ally Determined Contribution,” he added.

He said “VALCO monitors and reports regularly on its environ­mental performance through a robust environmental monitoring system to track progress towards emissions reduction in targets.”

Mr Arthur added that VALCO as a primary aluminum smelter “is demonstrating its commitments to environmental responsibility, reduce its impact on the planet and enhance its reputation as a sustain­able producer of aluminum and by extension gets a green smelter status.”

Consequently, the environ­mental manager said VALCO had subscribed to certification with Aluminium Stewardship Imitative (ASI) to demonstrate commitment to green practice and gain recogni­tion as sustainable producer.

Explaining further the Envi­ronmental Controller Officer, Mr Tetteh said the company needed to satisfy three key rights under the initiative: labour, neighbour and human rights, adding that manage­ment was committed to training employees in handling and disposal of chemicals or inputs.

Under neighbour rights, he said VALCO was implementing sustainable production by sourcing for sustainable raw materials that were less polluting, engaging in sus­tainable production that eliminated waste and implementing efficient energy technology.

Mr Tetteh said the company held the belief that every human being had the right to clean air, safe working environment and right to fair wage, adding “all these can meaningfully contribute to global emissions reduction and positive climate change for the benefit of humankind”.