Vedanta’s BALCO Receives India’s First ASI Performance Standard Certification

Current Context: Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO), a unit of Vedanta Aluminium, became the first Indian company to receive the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) Performance Standard V3 Certification on 27th March 2024.

• The certification covers the manufacture and supply of a wide range of primary aluminium products at its facility in Korba, Chhattisgarh, which includes a smelter, three casthouses, a rolled product plant, and a power generation plant.
• BALCO produces aluminium wire rods, ingots, primary foundry alloys, and rolled products, as well as India’s first low carbon aluminium range Restora.
• These products are used in several sectors including automobiles, infrastructure, insulations, power projects, electrical, and packaging.
• The ASI Performance Standard V3 (2022) defines 11 principles and 62 criteria under three sustainability pillars – Environment, Social, and Governance – to address sustainability areas in the aluminium value chain.
• CETIZION Verifica carried out the independent, third-party audit of BALCO.

Question:

Q.1 Which company became the first Indian company to receive the ASI Performance Standard V3 Certification?
a. Vedanta Aluminium
b. Restora
c. CETIZION Verifica
d. Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO)