The aluminum industry is a key area for energy consumption and carbon emission control, and it is also an indispensable supporting material for the low-carbon transformation of industries such as automobiles, new energy, information technology, green buildings, and high-end equipment manufacturing. Currently, global green trade barriers are becoming increasingly strict, international green procurement standards are continuously upgrading, and the market demand for green and low-carbon aluminum products is shifting from "optional" to "mandatory". To enhance the core competitiveness of China's aluminum industry in the global green supply chain, to consolidate the foundation for high-quality manufacturing development through a full-chain collaborative transformation, to tell the story of China's aluminum industry's low-carbon practices to the world, and to earnestly fulfill international carbon reduction commitments, recently, at the 2026 Second Green Electricity Aluminum Forum Conference, the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association Green Product Evaluation Center, in collaboration with the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and the SGS (Standardization and Certification Services Company), jointly initiated the "Global Action Initiative on Promoting Green and Low-Carbon Collaborative Development of the Aluminum Industry" for global aluminum industry upstream and downstream colleagues. The content of the initiative consists of three points.
First, we should build a global consensus and jointly establish a green value community for the aluminum industry chain. We call on the global aluminum industry to break through geographical and process barriers, and establish green and low-carbon as the core value standard for the common development of the industry; fully recognize the unique characteristics of the infinite recycling of aluminum materials, promote the integration of low-carbon concepts throughout the entire process from mines, smelting, processing to end applications, making green transformation a common driving force for industrial upgrading. Upstream and downstream enterprises should jointly carry out joint research on low-carbon technologies, implement actions to replace with renewable energy, and build a system for recycling and reuse, actively align with international climate governance goals, and with the collaborative carbon reduction practices of the aluminum industry chain, contribute a replicable "aluminum industry solution" to global climate change response.
Second, we should align with international rules and jointly establish a mutually recognized low-carbon standard evaluation system. We propose basing our efforts on the actual situation of the entire industrial chain, actively aligning with international rules, and promoting the coordinated mutual recognition of domestic and international carbon footprint accounting methods, verification rules, and certification frameworks; accelerating the establishment of a localized database covering the entire life cycle (LCA) of the aluminum industry, improving the monitoring, reporting, and verification system for carbon emissions from bauxite, alumina, electrolytic aluminum to processed materials; promoting the unification of green and low-carbon aluminum material evaluation bases among upstream and downstream enterprises, jointly building and sharing a data platform, using transparent and trustworthy quantitative results to support international carbon footprint declarations and green trade mutual recognition, and using Chinese data and Chinese standards to advance the global aluminum industry's low-carbon governance process.
Thirdly, we should ensure smooth value transmission and jointly create a new ecological environment for the application of green and low-carbon aluminum. We propose to establish a clear mechanism for the transmission of low-carbon value from the smelting stage to the application stage. This will enable enterprises' energy conservation and carbon reduction investments to be converted into quantifiable and traceable environmental benefits, ultimately forming a competitive advantage. We will also promote in-depth cooperation between aluminum processing enterprises and key downstream industries such as automobiles, new energy, home appliances, 3C electronics, and green buildings. We will incorporate low-carbon aluminum materials into the green procurement lists of leading enterprises and explore a model of sharing the low-carbon premium. We will cultivate a trading system in the domestic and international markets for the reasonable realization of low-carbon value. We will accelerate the large-scale promotion of green products through market forces, achieving a virtuous cycle of low-carbon transformation in the industrial chain and commercial sustainability.
Starting from this initiative, industry colleagues will work together, taking concrete collaborative actions to enhance the global green competitiveness of China's aluminum industry, and contribute the strength of China's aluminum industry to the low-carbon transformation of the global manufacturing sector.
