United Company Rusal

Sustainability strategy and accountability

United Company Rusal discloses its process for identifying and prioritising its most relevant sustainability impacts as well as the outcome of this process, in relation to its sustainability strategy. The company has group-wide targets on key sustainability topics for the most material parts of its value chain.

Stakeholder engagement

United Company Rusal discloses an overview of the issues raised during its stakeholder engagement activities. The company discloses how often and through which channels it engages with various stakeholder groups.

Solid and air pollution 

United Company Rusal discloses the proportion of hazardous waste treated to reduce pollution compared to total waste, the hazardous waste diverted from disposal and the waste directed to disposal. 

No leading practices were identified for the company in the social inclusion and community impact area

Sustainability strategy and accountability 

United Company Rusal does not report consistently against all its targets. No evidence was found that the company links performance criteria in senior executives’ remuneration policies to targets and objectives which cover nature, including biodiversity, and social issues. 

Lobbying 

United Company Rusal discloses a list of trade associations of which it is a member wherever it operates. The company does not disclose a clear and detailed framework for assessing alignment of its trade associations with nature-positive policies. The company does not report (potential) misalignment between the lobbying activities of its trade associations and nature-positive policies. 

Impact and dependencies assessment 

United Company Rusal has not holistically assessed its impacts or how it depends on nature, including biodiversity. It has an opportunity to start such an assessment across its value chains, focused on quantification of its impacts or dependencies. 

Key areas and species 

United Company Rusal does not disclose the locations that are in or adjacent to areas important for biodiversity within its own operations. The company does not disclose the locations of its suppliers that are in or adjacent to areas important for biodiversity. The company does not disclose species populations existing in or adjacent to its own locations. The company does not disclose species populations existing in or adjacent to the locations of its suppliers. The company discloses the status according to national and international conservation lists of species identified in its own locations. 

Ecosystem conversion and restoration 

United Company Rusal does not disclose a commitment to ensure zero conversion. The company does not disclose some activities to achieve conversion-free supply chains. The company does not disclose time-bound targets to achieve conversion-free supply chains. The company does not disclose a commitment to minimise ecosystem conversion. The company does not disclose activities to minimise ecosystem conversion. The company discloses details and outcomes of ecosystem restoration projects in areas affected by its own operations or by its suppliers. 

Resource exploitation and circularity 

The company does not disclose its inputs, including its material footprint. The company does not report quantitatively on its group-wide circularity performance. The company discloses activities to improve soil health or agrobiodiversity in its production or sourcing practices. The company does not disclose a target to improve soil health in its production or sourcing practices. 

Water 

United Company Rusal demonstrates it is reducing water withdrawal in its own operations. The company does not disclose a time-bound target to reduce water withdrawal across its own operations. The company reports how much water is withdrawn for its own operations in water-stressed areas. The company does not engage with suppliers to reduce water withdrawal.  

United Company Rusal reports a decrease in water pollution. The company does not disclose its processes for managing and monitoring discharge water quality. The company does not regularly report on water pollution. The company does not disclose targets to reduce water pollution. While the company implements several social investment programs to provide Indigenous Peoples access to clean water, no evidence that the company has a commitment to respect the right to water. The company does not disclose its processes for implementing preventive and corrective action plans for identified specific risks to the right to water and sanitation in its own operations. 

Solid and air pollution 

United Company Rusal is reducing the production of hazardous waste. No evidence that the company reduces plastic use and waste in its own operations was found. The company does not report on the amount of plastic waste generated and proportions directed from or to disposal. The company reports regularly on air quality parameters of emissions of harmful air pollutants. The company does not report time-bound targets to reduce air pollutants across most material parts of its value chain. 

GHG emissions 

United Company Rusal has a time-bound target to reduce its scope 1 and 2 emissions. While the company discloses its scope 1 and 2 emissions, no evidence that the company reduces its scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions on a year-over-year basis. No evidence that the company’s scope 1 and 2 emissions target is aligned with a 1.5-degree trajectory was found. The company is reducing its scope 3 emissions. While the company has a target to achieve carbon net-zero by 2050, it is unclear whether this covers scope 3 emissions.  

Invasive species 

United Company Rusal has not identified any activities that could lead to the introduction of invasive alien species in its own operations. 

Safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment

United Company Rusal does not disclose a commitment to respecting local communities’ right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment. While the company discloses its activities in supporting health care to local communities, no evidence that the company tracks its actual or potential negative impacts on their health. The company is not committed to zero tolerance for acts of violence, threats, intimidation or judicial harassment committed against land and environmental rights defenders. 

Indigenous peoples’ and land rights 

United Company Rusal is committed to respecting Indigenous Peoples’ rights. However, the company does not disclose its processes for identifying and recognising the rights of Indigenous Peoples when activities in its own operations may impact their rights, nor does it describe how it obtains Indigenous Peoples’ free, prior and informed consent.  

United Company Rusal does not disclose a commitment to respect ownership and use of land and natural resources and related legitimate tenure rights, as set out in the relevant part(s) of the VGGTs or the IFC Performance Standards. No evidence was found that the company requires its business relationships to have a process to identify legitimate tenure rightsholders, paying particular attention to vulnerable or marginalised tenure rightsholders, and to negotiate with them to provide adequate compensation. 

While the company discloses that it conducts human rights risk assessment, it has an opportunity to specify that it conducts human rights due diligence that includes a process for identifying human rights risks and impacts through its business relationships. No evidence that the company describes its process for assessing its human rights risks and discloses what it considers to be its salient human rights issues was found. While the company discloses that it conducts routine human rights risk assessments and that it remediates in locations with the highest risk, no evidence was found that it has a global system to act on all its salient human rights issues. No evidence that the company provides an example of the conclusions reached and actions taken or to be taken on at least one of its salient human rights issues as a result of assessment processes was found.

While the company discloses the categories of stakeholders it engages with generally on sustainability issues, it is not clear if these stakeholders are those whose human rights have been or may be affected by its activities. No evidence that the company provides examples of its engagement with stakeholders whose human rights have been or may be affected by its activities was found.

The company has a publicly available policy statement which shows it is committed to respecting the health and safety of workers. While the company provides a statement expecting its suppliers to commit to respecting the health and safety of their workers, no evidence was found that it is a formal policy, approved and signed off by the highest governing body. While the company discloses that it provides fair remuneration to employees, it has an opportunity to disclose a time-bound target for paying all workers a living wage or that it has achieved paying all workers a living wage. No evidence that the company describes how it determines a living wage for the regions where it operates was found. While the company states that it expects its suppliers to pay wages that are sufficient for workers and their families to fulfil their basic needs, it has an opportunity to disclose how it works to support the payment of a living wage by its suppliers.

The company discloses the proportion of its total direct operations workforce covered by collective bargaining agreements. While the company states that it encourages its suppliers to respect employees’ right to freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining, it has an opportunity to describe how it works to support the practices of its suppliers in relation to those.

No evidence that the company has a publicly available global tax strategy was found. While the company conducts risks assessment in its business units regarding bribery and corruption, there is no evidence that the company has the process(es) to identify its bribery and corruption risks and impacts in specific locations or activities covering its own operations. No evidence that the company includes anti-bribery and anti-corruption clauses in its contracts with business relationships was found. No evidence that the company has a publicly available policy statement or policy setting out its lobbying and political engagement approach was found. The company states that it does not make political contributions but does not formalise this commitment in a public policy document.