Mercedes-Benz receives ASI Performance Standard certification for aluminium vehicle body production at press shops

Mercedes-Benz Group AG, a German multinational automotive corporation, has received Performance Standard V2 (2017) Certification from the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative for aluminium vehicle body and structural parts production at its five European press shops. 

The automobile company has bagged the certification for its unwavering focus on material stewardship for press shop operations in Kuppenheim, Sindelfingen, Bremen, Hamburg in Germany and Kecskemét in Hungary. 

The ASI Performance Standard certification recognises material stewardship issues such as product design, life cycle assessments, management of process scrap and collection and recycling of products at end-of-life.

Alexander Knittel, Strategy and Planning BodyTEC at Mercedes-Benz AG, said: “Responsible Sustainability' is a core operational strategy at Mercedes-Benz and with it, we are making a comprehensive commitment to reduce the environmental impact at every step of our production process. An important aspect of this impact is the responsible handling of resources and raw materials, specifically aluminum. Our efforts towards this commitment have been strengthened in recent years by the formation of specialized teams; working cross-functionally across Research & Development, Supply Chain, Planning, Sourcing, Material Development and Production; all with the common goal of increased sustainability in all these areas. Mercedes-Benz supports the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative’s aim to foster transparency and accountability in the sourcing and production of Aluminium and is proud to receive the ASI Certification.”

Fiona Solomon, Chief Executive Officer at ASI, said: “We warmly congratulate Mercedes-Benz Group AG on achieving this ASI Certification at its European network of press shops. A key goal of material stewardship activities is to decouple resource consumption from growth. Mercedes-Benz Group press shops have made clear progress in this direction with their efforts to separate alloys, minimise scrap generated during production, maximise aluminium process scrap recycling, as well as exploring a uni-alloy approach. The ASI Performance Standard Certification validates the company’s material stewardship actions along the vehicle life cycle, from design through to end-of-life recycling.”

The independent, third-party audit of the Mercedes-Benz Group AG plants was carried out by GUTcert (AFNOR Group).