ArcelorMittal celebrates industry-first with ResponsibleSteel site certifications
July 20 2021 - 9:55AM
20 July 2021 15:55 CET
ArcelorMittal today announces that it has achieved
ResponsibleSteel™ site certification in Belgium, Germany and
Luxembourg. The company’s steelmaking sites in ArcelorMittal
Belgium (Geel, Genk, Gent and Liège), Luxembourg (Belval,
Differdange and Rodange) and Germany (Bremen and Eisenhüttenstadt)
are the first steel plants globally to be independently
audited and found to meet the standards required for
ResponsibleSteel, the industry’s first global multi-stakeholder
standard and certification initiative.
The ResponsibleSteel audit process enables each site to prove
that its production processes meet rigorously defined standards
across a broad range of social, environmental and governance
criteria
including:
- Climate change and greenhouse gas emissions
- Water stewardship and biodiversity
- Human rights and labour rights
- Community relations and business integrity
The standard is based on 12 principles with a variety of
criteria and underlying requirements. To be awarded with
ResponsibleSteel certification, each site has to undergo a detailed
third-party audit, with an independent Certification Committee
making the final certification decision. ArcelorMittal worked with
international auditor AFNOR and its German subsidiary GUTcert, both
specialist companies providing certification and assessment
services.
Geert Van Poelvoorde, CEO ArcelorMittal Europe said:
“Responsible production techniques and high ethical and business
standards have become increasingly important to our customers and
consumers. ResponsibleSteel certification gives our customers the
reassurance that we meet expectations on setting carbon reduction
targets, as well as meeting expectations on environmental and
social standards at every stage of production. The certification
process has involved many teams across ArcelorMittal, and I would
like to congratulate them for their hard work in being the first
sites to achieve ResponsibleSteel™ certification – this is a major
achievement.”
Explaining what the business has learned from the
ResponsibleSteel certification process, Mr Van Poelvoorde said:
“In particular, the ResponsibleSteel process has helped us to
improve our social management approach towards our rights holders,
including our local communities, our employees, and the contractors
working in our sites. While social sustainability has always been
an important topic for us, ResponsibleSteel has taught us to take a
more management systems-based approach to areas such as human
rights, diversity and labour rights. As a result, our aim is to now
manage social topics with the same systematic rigour with which
quality, environment and safety topics are handled.”
He added: “Given the considerable investments we have already
made to achieve a 30% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030, and
carbon neutrality by 2050, as well as our broader environmental
investments across our sites, I’m confident that we will achieve
our goal of securing certification in each of our Flat Products
sites early in 2022.”
ArcelorMittal Europe – Long Products is also targeting
ResponsibleSteel certification, at more of its sites during
2022.
Speaking at an event at ArcelorMittal Gent to mark the first
certifications at ArcelorMittal sites, Anne-Claire Howard,
ResponsibleSteel CEO said: “I am delighted that the first steel
sites which have been assessed against the very stringent set of
criteria required in the ResponsibleSteel Standard have been
approved. The ResponsibleSteel Standard was created by the
steel sector’s only truly global multi-stakeholder initiative –
designed to ensure business and consumers can be confident that the
steel they use has been sourced and produced responsibly at every
stage.“
She added: “I would like to congratulate the teams at
ArcelorMittal who have supported the development and now the
implementation of the ResponsibleSteel Standard at these first
sites in Europe. This is truly a ground-breaking moment for both
ResponsibleSteel and the steel sector. I am excited to work with
the growing number of ResponsibleSteel members and am confident
that the pipeline of steel sites who are working to achieve
certification will continue to grow over the coming months.
This will send a clear and strong message to markets, finance and
governments that the steel industry’s intent to not only
decarbonise steel production but also to ensure responsible ESG
practices in steelmaking has very much begun.”
After the initial phase in Europe, further ArcelorMittal sites
around the world will be part of the programme.
In 2021, ResponsibleSteel will launch a standard for the
certification of steel products, which will include stringent
requirements for raw materials supply chain. ArcelorMittal will
continue to play an active role in developing this aspect of the
programme.
Steel is the world’s most widely used material and those who use
it in the transport, automotive, infrastructure, packaging,
construction, energy and white goods sectors have a growing
expectation that the materials they work with are responsibly
sourced and produced. ResponsibleSteel, which is the world’s
first’s responsible sourcing certification scheme for steel, aims
to meet these expectations.
Arcelor Mittal (NYSE:MT)
Historical Stock Chart
From Aug 2024 to Sep 2024
Arcelor Mittal (NYSE:MT)
Historical Stock Chart
From Sep 2023 to Sep 2024