voestalpine commits itself to the 12 Principles of ResponsibleSteel, an advocacy organization. At some point in the business year 2021/22, the Group’s largest plant (which is located in Linz, Austria) will apply for certification pursuant to the ResponsibleSteel Standard, which was developed with the active participation of voestalpine’s experts together with many other stakeholders.
Principle 1: Corporate Leadership
ResponsibleSteel certified sites are led responsibly.
Principle 2: Social, Environmental, and Governance Management Systems
ResponsibleSteel certified sites have an effective management system in place to achieve the social, environmental, and governance objectives to which they are committed.
Principle 3: Occupational Health and Safety
ResponsibleSteel certified sites protect the health and safety of workers.
Principle 4: Labor Rights
ResponsibleSteel certified sites respect the rights of workers and support worker well-being.
Principle 5: Human Rights
ResponsibleSteel certified sites respect human rights wherever they operate, irrespective of their size or structure.
Principle 6: Stakeholder Engagement and Communication
ResponsibleSteel certified sites engage effectively with stakeholders, report openly on issues of importance to stakeholders, and remediate adverse impacts they have caused or contributed to.
Principle 7: Local Communities
ResponsibleSteel certified sites respect the rights and interests of local communities, avoid and minimize adverse impacts, and support community well-being.
Principle 8: Climate Change and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
The corporate owners of ResponsibleSteel certified sites are committed to the global goals of the Paris Agreement, and both certified sites and their corporate owners are taking the actions needed to demonstrate this commitment.
Principle 9: Noise, Emissions, Effluents, and Waste
ResponsibleSteel certified sites prevent and reduce emissions and effluents that have adverse effects on communities or the environment, manage waste according to the waste management hierarchy, and take account of the full life cycle impacts of waste management options.
Principle 10: Water Stewardship
ResponsibleSteel certified sites demonstrate good water stewardship.
Principle 11: Biodiversity
ResponsibleSteel certified sites protect and conserve biodiversity.
Principle 12: Decommissioning and closure
ResponsibleSteel certified sites minimize the adverse social, economic, and environmental impacts of full or partial site decommissioning and closure.
For further information, see www.responsiblesteel.org.