RUSAL STRENGTHENS ITS POSITION IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL QUALIFICATION OF WWF

The Russian colossus Rusal, the world’s leading aluminum producer, climbed 8 positions in the rating of environmental transparency of mining and metallurgical companies in Russia for 2020, prepared by the Russian branch of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

The ranking at the end of 2020 was conducted for the first time by the Analytical Credit Rating Agency (ACRA). WWF’s study revealed an increase in the openness of environmental information in the metals and mining industries: this year’s edition of the rating shows a record average score for business openness.

As Alexey Knizhnikov, head of WWF Russia’s Environmental Responsibility Program points out, “ratings like these are aimed at improving environmental risk management in the metals and mining sectors in Russia. Already today, we are witnessing an increasing openness on the part of rating leaders. We hope that our rating will become a real incentive to increase the level of environmental responsibility, develop communications with stakeholders and ensure full openness when companies discuss their projects”.

Ivan Rebrik, Deputy Director for Sustainable Development, Head of Rusal’s Ecology and Climate Department adds that “we value WWF’s rating, among other things, for the opportunity to observe the effectiveness of the implementation of environmental policies by other companies in the industry. Because when it comes to reducing environmental impact, competition benefits everyone. It is even more gratifying to see Rusal’s success in the ranking. But more importantly, the new study showed a record high average openness score throughout the history of the ranking.

Also, Rusal now ranks 11th, having moved up 8 positions compared to the 2019 rating, according to the WWF report. This is one of the most significant jumps among all the qualification participants. The overall score received by the Russian multinational is more than 1.5 times higher than the industry average.