IFC requires that this document is made available through the World Bank InfoShop and to the locally affected community no less than 30 days prior to project consideration by the IFC Board of Directors. The Summary of Project Information (SPI) also provides details of where the ERS has been made available to the locally affected community. The SPI must also be sent to the World Bank InfoShop no less than 30 days prior to project consideration by the IFC Board of Directors.

This is a Category B project according to IFC’s Procedure for Environmental and Social Review of Projects because a limited number of specific environmental impacts may result which can be avoided or mitigated by adhering to generally recognized performance standards, guidelines or design criteria. The review of this project consisted of appraising technical and environmental information submitted by the project sponsor as well as visits to the aluminum and galvanizing plants. The potential environment, health and safety (EHS) impacts of the project were analyzed related to the compliance of the aluminum plant with Turkish and IFC EHS requirements.

Assan has presented plans to address these impacts to ensure that the proposed project will comply with the environment, health and safety (EHS) requirements of Turkey as well as IFC’s environment and social policies and the environmental, health and safety guidelines. Information about how these potential impacts will be addressed by Assan is summarized in the paragraphs that follow. As a result of earlier IFC investments in Assan’s aluminum plant in Tuzla, the company had prepared a very detailed annual monitoring report of this operation. The report was prepared by the Department of Environmental Engineering at Istanbul Technical University. The report provides extensive monitoring data for air emissions, liquid effluents, solid wastes, noise as well as indoor air quality and indoor noise levels. The report provides third-party verification that the aluminum plant fully complies with all relevant Turkish requirements in this regard (both local and central government) as well as with applicable IFC environmental, worker health and safety (EHS) and social requirements. At the end of CY2003 Assan’s aluminum plant has successfully completed the transition to ISO 9001:2000 (Quality Management) and achieved TS 18001 in compliance with OHSAS (Occupational Health and Safety) standards. Additionally Assan’s aluminum plant is currently in progress to completing the application requirements for ISO 14001 (Environmental Management). This is yet another indication of Assan’s commitment to quality, performance, worker health and safety and outstanding environmental performance. The proposed project includes further investments in equipment to improve on the already very high product quality, to further improve worker health and safety; and to also improve the company’s outstanding environmental performance.

This ERS contains the full environmental and social documentation prepared for the project.

Accordingly, IFC concludes that the proposed project meets the applicable IFC environment and social policies and the environmental, health and safety guidelines as well as relevant Turkish requirements.

IFC will evaluate the project's compliance with the applicable Turkish and IFC environmental, health and safety (EHS) and social requirements during the lifetime of the project by reviewing the annual monitoring reports (AMRs) prepared for the project by the company covering the ongoing performance of project-specific environmental, health and safety (EHS) activities. Periodic site supervision visits will also be conducted.