Apr 7 2010
The recently concluded Task Force Meeting held at Vancouver, Canada during 21–26 March focused on Aluminum, Building and Appliances, Cement, Distribution Generation and Renewable Energy.
The meeting was arranged at the behest of the Asia-Pacific Partnership (APP) which focuses on Clean Development and Climate. The APP initiative started during the year 2006 deals with issues such as the ever-increasing energy requirement, energy security, air pollution and climatic change. This partnership includes participating countries such as USA, Australia, Korea, Canada, Japan, China, and India and strives to encourage economic development, poverty reduction, and creating momentum for the progress in using cleaner and effective technologies.
According to Marshall Wang, Sustainability Specialist of Aluminum Association, an increased number of Indian and Chinese smelting plants had shown interest in reducing per-fluorocarbons (PFC). He attended the task force meeting where members of the Aluminum Association highlighted the difficulties created by leakage of carbon due to the landfill of reusable and recyclable materials like aluminum.
Apart from the Aluminum Association, the International Aluminum Institute (IAI), the Aluminum Association of Canada, Australian Aluminum Council and China Non-Ferrous Metals Industry Association (CNIA) also participated in the Aluminum Task Force Meeting.
Projects undergoing currently include assessing and benchmarking of sustainability, research projects for the management of bauxite residue and fluoride emission, and projects to handle aluminum recycling. The PFC management was accorded as the top-priority project of the task force.