Standards and specifications
This CR Report was prepared in accordance with the “Core” option of the GRI Standards (GRI meaning the Global Reporting Initiative). These standards provide a globally recognized framework for transparent and comparable reporting on issues of sustainability. The GRI Content Index in the Appendix provides a detailed overview of the GRI Standards covered by this CR Report and indicates where the respective information is to be found.
voestalpine has participated in the Global Compact of the United Nations (UN Global Compact, UNGC) since 2013. This initiative calls on companies around the world to apply ten principles pertaining to human rights, labor standards, environmental protection, and the fight against corruption. The present CR Report documents voestalpine’s performance in connection with these ten principles and thus serves as a Communication On Progress (CoP).
The Austrian Sustainability and Diversity Improvement Act (NaDiVeG), which transposed EU Directive 2014/95/EU (NFI Directive) on the mandatory disclosure of non-financial indicators into national law, has been in effect in Austria since December 2016. In publishing this CR Report, voestalpine is thus fulfilling the requirements of Section 267a Austrian Commercial Code (Unternehmensgesetzbuch, UGB).
Parameters of this report
Unless otherwise stated, the information, figures, and facts published in this CR Report refer to the entire voestalpine Group. The financial performance indicators and employee data encompass all of the Group’s consolidated entities.
The voestalpine Group’s roughly 126 production companies—i.e., those that process, convert, or treat a product—accounted for more than one half of the data considered in the compilation of the environmental performance indicators. This limitation of the CR Report’s parameters with respect to the environmental data accords with both the criteria of materiality and the Pareto Principle. The carbon footprint of the non-producing companies is relatively small, whereas the expenditures required to collect these data would be unreasonably large.
The health & safety indicators comprise all companies whose activities entail potential risks for their employees. This concerns a total of 171 entities, including all production companies as well as those smaller companies, for example, whose shops use equipment that may pose a risk to their employees’ safety and health.
Impacts along the value chain that occur outside of voestalpine’s factory gates but are subject to its sphere of influence are regularly evaluated as part of supply chain management and are managed with an eye toward sustainability. For reasons of confidentiality, however, this CR Report does not disclose detailed information and financial indicators concerning suppliers’ business activities.
Benchmark for specific environmental data
Since 2017, the totality of the production volume has been used in lieu of just crude steel production as the benchmark for determining the specific environmental performance indicators. In addition to the weight of the crude steel produced at six plants (flat and long products resulting from the integrated furnace approach, and special steel manufactured in electric furnaces) as well as the hot briquetted iron (HBI) produced at the direct reduction plant in Texas, USA, the production volume data also includes data on the weight of those steel products whose pre-materials are externally sourced. Accordingly, the specific indicators are provided per ton of product.
Content of this report
voestalpine addresses the issues that are relevant to the Group’s sustainable development continuously and systematically. Both external and internal stakeholders were included in the process of determining the content of and the material topics covered in the present CR Report (see “Stakeholders and CR Management”).
Reporting period
voestalpine’s business year runs from April 1 of a given year to March 31 of the following year. While the business year 2020/21 is the reporting period for the key financial indicators as well as the employee and health & safety data, the environmental data are compiled by calendar year. Hence the calendar year 2020 is the reporting period for the environmental performance indicators. The past five business and/or calendar years are shown for select key figures to enhance comparability and provide insight into the development of the key performance indicators over a longer period.
Reporting cycle
voestalpine publishes its CR Report once a year. The CR Fact Sheet, which summarizes the Report’s key figures and facts, is also published annually and simultaneously with the CR Report.
Audit
The auditing firm, Wirtschaftsprüfungs- und Steuerberatungsgesellschaft Deloitte, audited the CR Report as to compliance with both the GRI Standards and the requirements of Section 267a UGB.
See the independent Audit Confirmation Report in the Appendix for further information on the audit and confirmation of the present CR Report.
Style and languages
So as not to impede the flow, the German version omits gender-specific wording and uses male pronouns and endings to cover all genders. The English version uses gender-neutral wording wherever necessary.
The CR Report is published (both in print and on the Web) in German and English. The CR Fact Sheet is available in 14 languages.
Visual design
The 12 decorative images in this CR Report are aligned with the principles of ResponsibleSteel, an advocacy organization. voestalpine has been a member since 2019 and has applied for certification by ResponsibleSteel of its steel plant in Linz, Austria (its largest) during the current business year. The organization’s principles are explained in greater detail in the Appendix.
Questions and comments
We look forward to your feedback. Please send any questions or comments regarding this CR Report to the following email address: cr@voestalpine.com