voestalpine awarded certificate for sustainable steel production

2021-11-15 |

Accepting social and environmental responsibility is an integral part of the corporate culture at voestalpine. The Linz-based Steel Division is now one of the first steel companies worldwide to have been officially certified as a sustainable production site by the non-profit organization ResponsibleSteel. The precondition for certification was to fulfill 200 criteria which included the responsible procurement of raw materials, reducing CO₂ emissions, and the management of labor and human rights.

voestalpine implements sustainability measures throughout the Group on an ongoing basis, and is regarded as an industry benchmark for environmental protection.

Our corporate strategy prioritizes corporate responsibility. We have been living up to our ecological and social responsibility for many years. greentec steel is our ambitious phased plan to reduce CO₂ emissions in steel production.

Herbert Eibensteiner, CEO of voestalpine AG

Using a hybrid technology and electric arc furnaces would allow CO₂ emissions to be reduced by around 30% in a first step to 2030. Over the long term, the goal is to successively increase the share of green hydrogen used in steel production, arriving at carbon-neutral steel by 2050.

ResponsibleSteel is the first global certification initiative for sustainability in the steel industry. Certification required the entire location to be subjected to detailed examination by a third party, with the decision made by the independent certification body LRQA.

The certificate we were awarded today proves that voestalpine meets strictly defined sustainability standards. This is at the same time an important signal for our customers who are also placing increasing importance on suppliers for whom sustainability is a priority.

Hubert Zajicek, Member of the Management Board of voestalpine AG and Head of the Steel Division

The voestalpine Group

voestalpine is a globally leading steel and technology group with a unique combination of materials and processing expertise. voestalpine, which operates globally, has around 500 Group companies and locations in more than 50 countries on all five continents. It has been listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange since 1995. With its premium products and system solutions, it is a leading partner to the automotive and consumer goods industries as well as the aerospace and oil & gas industries; it is also the world market leader in railway systems, tool steel, and special sections. voestalpine is fully committed to the global climate goals, and its greentec steel program represents a clear plan for decarbonizing the production of steel. In the business year 2020/21, the Group generated revenue of EUR 11.3 billion, with an operating result (EBITDA) of EUR 1.1 billion; it had about 48,700 employees worldwide.