DUBAI, Dec. 2, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Novelis was honored in November with a Silver Gaia Award at the Big 5 international building and construction exhibition in Dubai. The award recognizes the environmental benefits of the company's pre-painted cladding sheet ff2ECOplus, which was developed to meet the low-carbon requirements of the Masdar City project in Abu Dhabi.

"Novelis is committed to delivering sustainable solutions in its products and processes," said John Gardner, newly-appointed Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer for Novelis.  "It is gratifying to have this excellent example of our product stewardship recognized at the Big 5 exhibition, especially in Dubai which is renowned for its innovative construction projects."

The Big 5 is the largest building and construction trade show in the Middle East.  The aim of the Gaia Awards, now in its third year, is to raise the profile of environmentally responsible building products and services in the Arabian Gulf region that reflect the growing desire to "build green."

Novelis' ff2ECOplus is a high performance, pre-painted aluminum facade product that meets the Masdar City requirements for building materials with the lowest possible carbon footprint, taking into account production and end-of-life recyclability.  Recycling saves 95 percent of the energy and greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production of primary aluminum.  Furthermore, ff2ECOplus, with its high strength and excellent formability, is extremely durable with low life-cycle maintenance requirements.

The Masdar City project in Abu Dhabi aims to be one of the world's most sustainable urban developments, which will also be entirely powered by renewable energy.

About Novelis

Novelis Inc. is the global leader in aluminum rolled products and beverage can recycling.  The company operates in 11 countries, has approximately 11,600 employees and reported revenue of $8.7 billion in fiscal year 2010.  Novelis supplies premium aluminum sheet and foil products throughout North America, Europe, Asia and South America.  Novelis is a subsidiary of Hindalco Industries Limited (BSE: HINDALCO), one of Asia's largest integrated producers of aluminum and a leading copper producer.  Hindalco is a flagship company of the Aditya Birla Group, a multinational conglomerate based in Mumbai, India.  For more information, visit www.novelis.com.

SOURCE Novelis Inc.