Producing climate-friendly steel in a socially and environmentally responsible way:
SHS – Stahl-Holding-Saar (SHS) is a member of ResponsibleSteel
ResponsibleSteel is a global initiative of companies at all levels of the steel supply chain offering sustainability standards and certification for socially and environmentally responsible steel production. The membership augments the existing sustainability management at SHSwith the companies Aktien-Gesellschaft der Dillinger Hüttenwerke (Dillinger) and Saarstahl AG.
Stefan Rauber, Chairman of the Management Board of SHS – Stahl-Holding-Saar, explains:
“Our membership in ResponsibleSteel shows what motivates us: responsibility for sustainable steel production entirely in line with Pure Steel+. It is also one more signal to our customers that our concept for the transformation to carbon-reduced steel and its implementation is holistic.” The initiative’s multi-stakeholder concept would emphasize that all levels of the steel supply chain must contribute to achieve a sustainable value creation process.
By joining the initiative, SHS commits to the 13 principles of the first global standard for responsible production and processing. It expressly supports them. The international ResponsibleSteel standard of September 2022 includes principles applying on the following topics:
- Corporate Leadership
- Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Management Systems
- Responsible Sourcing of Input Materials
- Occupational Health and Safety
- Employee Rights
- Human Rights
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Local Communities
- Climate Change and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Noise, Emissions, Effluents and Waste
- Water Stewardship
- Biodiversity
- Decommissioning and Closure
Annie Heaton, CEO of ResponsibleSteel, explains: “We’re delighted to have SHS – Stahl-Holding-Saar join ResponsibleSteel. It is crucial that we encourage the rollout of the ResponsibleSteel International Standard across steelmaking sites globally to accelerate the responsible production of net-zero steel. SHS’s two steel companies, Dillinger and Saarstahl, collectively produce over 5 million tons of steel every year and are key players in Europe’s steel industry.
SHS is already taking significant steps to reduce emissions and is planning to introduce new innovative processes and to switch to using natural gas and hydrogen as reductants in place of coal. We look forward to working with them to accelerate the transition to net zero.”
The non-profit organization ResponsibleSteel has over 130 members worldwide, ranging from steel producers and buyers to mining companies and civil society organizations.