Biodiversity
Restoring pre-mining biodiversity requires areas to be protected from erosion and for the original topsoil to be managed to retain its value as a seed source and growing medium. | Learn more
Sustainable Bauxite Mining
About 90% of global bauxite supplies are found in tropical and subtropical areas, with 73% found in just five countries: Guinea, Brazil, Jamaica, Australia and India. Guinea has the largest supply of bauxites with 5.3 billion tonnes (28.4% of the total global supply).
The aluminium production process can be broken down into three stages; first bauxites, which contain aluminium, are extracted from the ground. Second, bauxites are processed into alumina or aluminium oxide, and finally in stage three, pure aluminium is produced using electrolytic reduction, a process in which aluminium oxide is broken down into its components using electric current.
The aluminium industry’s objective is a long-term, sustainable bauxite mining industry with acceptably low social and environmental impacts during operation and post-closure. Sustainable bauxite mining is not a “one-size fits all” prescriptive process but involves risk management and applying technologies appropriate to the circumstances of each mine.
Aluminium facts
1 | Sustainable mining
Sustainable mining operations protect and restore the biodiversity of the areas in which they are located.
2 | Reduced energy
The energy intensity of alumina production has been reduced by almost 20% since 2006.
3 | Community investment
On average each mining operation invests over US$ 400,000 in support of community programmes.