OREANDA-NEWS. July 19, 2012. The award ceremony of the 13th annual regional contest EcoLeader-2011 took place in Togliatti near Samara. ZAO Alcoa SMZ was awarded the 1st degree diploma in Large Enterprise category. Valery Pechorin, Ecological department Manager, received the award on behalf of the location.

EcoLeader contest is initiated by the Ministry of forest management, environment protection and natural resources of Samara region to identify and recognize municipal institutions, organizations and citizens for their achievements in environment protection and environmental management.

ZAO Alcoa SMZ has been taking part in the competition since 2002 being recognized for environmental management every time.

EHS (Environment, Health, Safety) is the key Alcoa value. The Company included the objectives to reduce its environmental footprint into the list of its long-term strategic objectives on sustainable development.

In accordance with the corporate environmental strategy, ZAO Alcoa SMZ annually plans and implements activities to reduce its environmental footprint. These include: reduction of natural resources consumption, reduction of emission into the atmosphere, reduction of toxic materials consumption, reduction of emergency risks, additional environmental awareness workshops for workforce, participation of employees and community members in environmental volunteering events. The Environmental management system of the location was among the first in the Samara region to be certified with ISO 14001 standard. All the projects implemented at the location have to undergo environmental expertise.