Acciai Speciali Terni (AST), part of Arvedi, has started the process of obtaining the ResponsibleSteel certification.
“The company has developed an approach aimed not only at complying with the various parameters envisaged by the regulations but also at adopting more restrictive self-regulation criteria than those required by current regulations,” AST says in a note sent to Kallanish.
The ResponsibleSteel certification was created in 2019 and relies on several environmental, social, and governance criteria. In order to be regarded as a ResponsibleSteel producer, a steelmaker has to abide by over 200 criteria, AST explains.
The focus is not only on decarbonisation processes but also on respect for human rights, labour rights, and local communities, as well as a larger spectrum of ESG principles. Last year, the certification body released a new set of revised and more stringent environmental, social, and governance standards to help the industry meet its long-term sustainability goals (see Kallanish 14 September 2022).
At present, audit certification company DNV is verifying Arvedi AST conformity with certain sustainability requirements, such as governance, health and safety, work and human rights, as well as the level of emissions and environmental impact of the plant in Terni. The steelmaker has created a sustainability committee for all decisions regarding environmental impact and circular economy.
The ResponsibleSteel coalition has so far certified 41 steelmaking sites on four continents, representing about 48 million tonnes of production out of the total global production of about 1.8 billion tonnes. According to the coalition, global steel industry CO2 emissions must fall by at least 90% by 2050 to hold global warming at 1.5C.
Natalia Capra France
