BROOMFIELD, Colo., Jan. 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI), in collaboration with Ball Corporation (NYSE: BLL) and other aluminum industry leaders, recently introduced new, comprehensive criteria for a global standard for sustainable aluminum production that will further improve environmental, social and governance performance throughout the entire aluminum value chain.

In Ball's 2014 sustainability report, the company announced its goal to work with ASI and support the development of a global standard that promotes sustainable practices by the end of 2015. To accomplish this goal, Ball and other industry leaders worked with upstream partners, including Constellium, Hydro, Novelis and Rio Tinto Alcan, and alongside 15 nongovernmental organizations throughout 2014 to define sustainability issues relevant to the aluminum value chain.

The resulting ASI Performance Standard addresses issues relevant to the production and sourcing of aluminum – from extraction of bauxite to the producers of commercial and consumer goods and the recycling of pre- and post-consumer aluminum scrap. The Standard focuses on 11 key sustainability aspects: business integrity; policy and management; transparency; material stewardship; greenhouse gas emissions; water; emissions, effluents and waste; biodiversity; human rights; labor rights; and occupational health and safety.

"The development of a global standard that encourages responsible sourcing throughout the aluminum supply chain is a significant step in the right direction for the aluminum industry and for Ball as we continually work to drive operational excellence, reduce our environmental impacts and drive social progress," said Bjoern Kulmann, Ball's director of sustainability.

The ASI Performance Standard will be implemented through a third-party certification system. It is expected that certification of compliance can apply at both the company level and the product level. Several end-users have indicated their intent to buy certified aluminum as soon as it is available.

"The aluminum industry is committed to maximizing the value that its products and activities generate, while minimizing their impacts. Working together with industry representatives of the aluminum value chain and of civil society to improve the industry's performance and make it more sustainable is a win-win for everyone," said Jostein Soreide, manager sustainability and LCA of Hydro, and co-chair of the ASI Standard Setting Group. "We, the companies behind the ASI Standard, expect now to bring more peers on board."

For maximum transparency, the ASI Performance Standard will enable players in the aluminum industry to provide independent, credible and verifiable information regarding their environmental, social and governance performance. This will enable the identification of suppliers and materials based on their sustainability performance.

Please visit www.ball.com/sustainability for more information about Ball's sustainability goals and priorities and the ASI website for more information about the new ASI Performance Standard.

About Ball Corporation
Ball Corporation supplies innovative, sustainable packaging solutions for beverage, food and household products customers, as well as aerospace and other technologies and services primarily for the U.S. government. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries employ 14,500 people worldwide and reported 2013 sales of $8.5 billion. For more information, visit www.ball.com, or connect with us on Facebook or Twitter.

About the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative
The Aluminium Stewardship Initiative is currently supported by 14 companies, including aluminium producers and transformers (Aleris, Constellium, Hydro, Novelis and Rio Tinto Alcan), converters (AMAG/Constantia Flexibles, Amcor Flexibles, Ball Corporation, Rexam and Tetra Pak), and commercial and consumer goods suppliers (Audi, BMW Group, Jaguar Land Rover and Nestle Nespresso SA).

The civil society members who participated in the ASI Standard Setting Group represented: As You Sow; Confederation of Indian Industry - Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre; Ecofys; EMPA-Materials, Science and Technology; Fauna & Flora International; Forest Peoples Programme; Igora; IndustriALL Global Union; Fundacion para la Promocion de Conocimientos Indigenas/Asociacion Indigena Ambiental en Panama; IUCN; Partners for Democratic Change; South Africa Cleaner Production Centre; Transparency International and WWF.

Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains "forward-looking" statements concerning future events and financial performance. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "estimates" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Key risks and uncertainties are summarized in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Exhibit 99 in our Form 10-K, which are available on our website and at www.sec.gov. Factors that might affect: a) our packaging segments include product demand fluctuations; availability/cost of raw materials; competitive packaging, pricing and substitution; changes in climate and weather; crop yields; competitive activity; failure to achieve productivity improvements or cost reductions; mandatory deposit or other restrictive packaging laws; customer and supplier consolidation, power and supply chain influence; changes in major customer or supplier contracts or loss of a major customer or supplier; political instability and sanctions; and changes in foreign exchange or tax rates; b) our aerospace segment include funding, authorization, availability and returns of government and commercial contracts; and delays, extensions and technical uncertainties affecting segment contracts; c) the company as a whole include those listed plus: changes in senior management; successful or unsuccessful acquisitions and divestitures; regulatory action or issues including tax, environmental, health and workplace safety, including U.S. FDA and other actions or public concerns affecting products filled in our containers, or chemicals or substances used in raw materials or in the manufacturing process; technological developments and innovations; litigation; strikes; labor cost changes; rates of return on assets of the company's defined benefit retirement plans; pension changes; uncertainties surrounding the U.S. government budget, sequestration and debt limit; reduced cash flow; ability to achieve cost-out initiatives; interest rates affecting our debt.

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SOURCE Ball Corporation

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