Water Stewardship Policy

Water is a precious natural resource and a critical raw material in our mining and manufacturing processes. We recognize the value of responsible water stewardship to the wellbeing of our employees, our communities and our environment. We commit to ensuring that our water use is efficient, safe and promotes the sustainable management of water resources in and around our facilities, and to complying with applicable environmental requirements in the countries in which we operate.

Advancing sustainably is a strategic priority for Alcoa which is supported by a suite of sustainability goals, approved by the Executive Team and endorsed by the Board of Directors. Water has been a long term focus area for Alcoa, and our current goal is focused on improving the intensity of total water use at locations in Alcoa defined water-scarce areas by 10% by 2030, from a 2015 baseline. The World Resources Institute Aqueduct Tool, utilizing a 2030 business as usual carbon forecast and complemented by a qualitative assessment to validate local environmental and community headwinds, was used to define our locations in water scarce areas – our three refineries and two mine sites in Western Australia. We believe that collaboration among different stakeholders is needed to achieve responsible and sustainable water use, especially in water scarce areas. For this reason, we promote dialogue and use of science to determine the best approach to water management in each jurisdiction.

We are continually seeking ways to improve our performance and have recently aligned our internal standard for water management to be consistent with the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) Position Statement on Water Stewardship. All Alcoa locations are encouraged to reduce water consumption and discharge, use fit for purpose sources of water, maximize reuse and recycling, ensure the supply of safe drinking water on our sites, and proactively maintain the quality of water resources in our catchments. Impact on water is also one of the indicators included in our internal capital approval process, through the environmental, health and safety review required for any new project.

Alcoa reports water use data in a transparent manner that aligns with the Global Reporting Initiative. Our Sustainability Report communicates progress towards our water stewardship initiatives, for more information please visit https://www.alcoa.com/sustainability.

(May 2023)