Sustainability
The Australian aluminium industry is committed to maintaining and developing a sustainable industry that benefits Australia.
The Australian Aluminium Council and its members are committed to the sustainable production of bauxite, alumina and aluminium. The sustainability data shows how our industry is using physical resources and reducing the impacts of that use, what we are producing, what happens to it and what are the by-products from our activities.
The Australian Aluminium Council is a member of the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI), which works across the value chain collaboratively to foster responsible production, sourcing and stewardship of aluminium. Click for more information on ASI.
The Australian Aluminium Council is an active participant in the International Aluminium Institute (IAI). Through the IAI, the global aluminium industry aims to promote a wider understanding of its activities and demonstrate its responsibility in relation to all key sustainability issues – environmental, health, safety and recycling. The IAI website is an excellent resource for information on the global aluminium industry. Please follow this link to the publications section of the IAI website.
For more information, read our Strengthening Our Aluminium Industry Factsheet.
The Australian Aluminium Council has released five factsheets outlining Australia’s role in a global aluminium decarbonisation pathway; covering the bauxite, alumina, aluminium and electricity sectors.
Sustainability Data Tables 2000 to 2022
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2015 | 2010 | 2005 | 2000 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian bauxite production (Mt) | 101 | 101 | 102 | 86 | 71 | 63 | 54 |
| Bauxite exports volume (Mt) | 40 | 40 | 37 | 22 | 9 | 8 | NR |
| Bauxite exports value ($m) | 1,149 | 1,285 | 1,327 | 1,038 | 205 | 121 | NR |
| Area mined (ha) | 2,922 | 2,492 | 2,391 | 3,280 | 2,510 | 1,520 | 1,790 |
| Area rehabilitated (ha) | 1,906 | 1,899 | 2,075 | 1,870 | 960 | 840 | 1,450 |
| Employment – Direct Employees | 2,955 | 2,843 | 2,830 | 2,490 | 1,940 | 960 | 680 |
| Employment – Contractors | 2,490 | 2,114 | 843 | 730 | 210 | 400 | 280 |
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2015 | 2010 | 2005 | 2000 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian metallurgical alumina production (Mt) | 20.3 | 21.0 | 21.0 | 20.3 | 20.2 | 20.2 | 15.7 |
| Alumina exports volume (Mt) | 16.7 | 17.9 | 17.8 | 16.8 | 16.0 | 14.0 | 12.1 |
| Alumina exports value ($m) | 8,731 | 7,645 | 6,301 | 6,457 | 5,104 | 4,553 | 4,142 |
| Employment – Direct Employees | 5,699 | 5,509 | 5,466 | 5,810 | 6,940 | 8,610 | 6,510 |
| Employment – Contractors | 3,580 | 2,977 | 2,892 | 2,510 | 2,910 | 3,760 | 2,160 |
| Total GHG emissions from Australia's alumina refineries (Mt) | 14.0 | 14.6 | 14.9 | 14.6 | 14.9 | 13.4 | 13.5 |
| Emissions intensity for alumina production (emissions/tonne) | 0.69 | 0.70 | 0.71 | 0.72 | 0.74 | 0.75 | 0.86 |
| Total Direct Emissions (equiv. kt CO2) | 13,180 | 13,745 | 14,122 | 13,700 | 13,800 | 12,500 | 12,400 |
| Total Indirect Emissions (equiv. kt CO2) | 856 | 874 | 799 | 980 | 1,060 | 920 | 1,040 |
| Water consumption ML^ | 104,880 | 107,326 | 114,142 | 67,500 | 50,800 | 54,500 | 43,000 |
| Water consumption per tonne of alumina production kl^ | 5.16 | 5.12 | 5.40 | 3.32 | 2.51 | 3.03 | 2.74 |
| % of fresh water | 37 | 41 | 37 | 49 | 78 | 60 | 50 |
| % of grey/other water | 63 | 59 | 63 | 51 | 22 | 40 | 50 |
Energy Consumption
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2015 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gas (Gj) | 146,044,122 | 151,744,703 | 149,667,679 | 144,537,550 |
| Diesel (Gj) | 1,265,876 | 897,379 | 795,535 | 795,535 |
| Fuel Oil (Gj) | 133,059 | 175,356 | 175,356 | 113,860 |
| Purchased Electricity (Gj) | 4,075,376 | 4,306,501 | 3,913,712 | 4,350,394 |
| Other eg. coal (Gj) | 61,195,675 | 63,196,823 | 66,791,002 | 55,964,160 |
| Total (Gj) | 212,714,107 | 220,320,762 | 220,320,762 | 205,674,069 |
| Energy consumption per tonne | ||||
| Gas (Gj/tonne) | 7.2 | 7.2 | 7.1 | 7.1 |
| Diesel (Gj/tonne) | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Fuel Oil (Gj/tonne) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Purchased Electricity (Gj/tonne) | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Other eg. coal (Gj/tonne) | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.2 | 2.7 |
| Total (Gj/tonne) | 10.5 | 0.5 | 10.5 | 10.1 |
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2015 | 2010 | 2005 | 2000 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian primary aluminium metal production (Mt) | 1.51 | 1.56 | 1.59 | 1.65 | 1.93 | 1.91 | 1.77 |
| Aluminium exports volume (Mt) | 1.42 | 1.43 | 1.43 | 1.50 | 1.69 | 1.59 | 1.45 |
| Aluminium imports value ($m) | 2,250.54 | 1,741.41 | 1,333.78 | 1,059.37 | 957.47 | 612.11 | 451.34 |
| Aluminium exports value ($m) | 5,762.95 | 4,823.94 | 3,632.00 | 3,750.00 | 6,220.00 | 4,030.00 | 3,910.00 |
| Electricity consumption (Gwh) | 22,737 | 22,610 | 22,860 | 24,070 | 29,070 | 28,590 | 18,660 |
| Electricity consumption per tonne of aluminium produced (KWh/tonne) | 15.02 | 14.51 | 14.42 | 14.59 | 15.04 | 14.96 | NR |
| Water consumption (ML) | 1,930.66 | 1,897 | 1,832 | 1,920 | 2,160 | 1,860 | 1,810 |
| Water consumption per tonne of aluminium production (kl/tonne) | 1,275.59 | 1,217 | 27,714 | 29,340 | 31,930 | 37,960 | 15,700 |
| Spent Pot Lining SPL – recycled (tonne) | 49,700 | 26,029 | 24,671 | 52,500 | 39,400 | 25,700 | NR |
| Employment – Direct Employees | 3,113 | 2,987 | 2,874 | 2,879 | 4,540 | 3,364 | 3,387 |
| Employment – Contractors | 486 | 499 | 430 | 633 | 614 | 696 | 209 |
Greenhouse gases:
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2015 | 2010 | 2005 | 2000 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PFC total (Mt CO2-e) | 0.36 | 0.33 | 0.31 | 0.26 | 0.21 | 1.55 | 1.12 |
| Total Direct incl. PFC (Mt CO2-e) | 3.03 | 3.05 | 3.07 | 2.91 | 3.36 | 4.63 | 3.93 |
| Total Direct & Indirect (Mt CO2-e) | 16.20 | 16.67 | 17.07 | 19.45 | 26.62 | 27.80 | 27.13 |
| PFC / tonne (t CO2-e/tonne) | 19.23 | 19.72 | 20.14 | 22.36 | 29.98 | 32.43 | 31.06 |
| Direct / tonne incl. PFC (t CO2-e/tonne) | 0.24 | 0.21 | 0.19 | 0.16 | 0.11 | 0.81 | 0.63 |
| Indirect / tonne (t CO2-e/tonne) | 10.71 | 10.70 | 10.77 | 11.80 | 13.77 | 14.55 | 15.32 |
| Direct & Indirect / tonne (t CO2-e/tonne) | 12.71 | 12.66 | 12.70 | 13.56 | 15.51 | 16.97 | 17.54 |
See the full Sustainability Data 2000 to 2022 in an Excel spreadsheet here.