December 21, 2018
PAO Severstal (“Severstal”; “the Company”), one of the world’s leading vertically integrated steel and steel-related mining companies, has been rated one of Russia’s Top 10 mining and steel companies for transparent reporting on the enviromental impact of its operations. The rating has been published by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) of Russia and the National Rating Agency.
Severstal was ranked 7th in the rating, ahead of steel peers NLMK and MMK, and significantly improving its performance on the previous year, when Severstal took 16th place.
This significant progress reflects Severstal’s systematic program to reduce its ecological footprint through large-scale environmental re-equipment of its main assets, such as the Cherepovets Metallurgical Plant (CherMK).
Valery Minchev, HSE Director of Severstal, said:
“We are pleased that our ongoing efforts to improve transparency on Severstal’s environmental performance have been recognized by a marked improvement in our WWF rating. The Company regularly keeps its stakeholders updated on intiatives and progress in improving the environmental performance of our operations, at every stage. Severstal’s Annual Social Report also includes detailed information about the Company’s environmental activities.”
CherMK, the Company’s flagship steelmaking asset, has been a key area of focus for reducing the environmental impact of Severstal’s operations:
- In 2004, Severstal launched a large-scale investment program, which included nine initiatives focused on reducing dust emissions and two on minimizing hydrogen sulfide emissions. Severstal’s total investment in environmental activities over the past 10 years has amounted to approximately 10 billion rubles. Between 2004-2017, the Company reduced emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere by 38 thousand tons (-11%), including dust by more than 15 thousand tons (-47%).
- The asset has a unified circulating water supply system, developed in 1995, achieving a closed water system at 98.33%.
