Benteler Steel/Tube has been awarded the Gold Medal by sustainability assessment provider EcoVadis. The company was recognized in the “Manufacture of pig iron and steel” category, making it one of the top five percent of companies evaluated by EcoVadis.
Customers can use EcoVadis recognition as guidance and assurance regarding Benteler's sustainability efforts. The assessment is based on a catalog of 21 CSR criteria based on international standards and covering areas such as the environment, labor and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement.
“After silver in 2022, now the gold medal – proof that we are on the right track and that our commitment is paying off,” says Thomas Begemann, Director Strategy, Communication & Innovation at Benteler Steel/Tube.
However, in order to consistently reduce CO2 emissions, political support is also needed, especially for the development of the necessary infrastructure.
Criteria for evaluation
EcoVadis is evaluated based on a defined evaluation catalog in order to obtain a comparable overview of the certified companies. The evaluation focuses on 21 CSR criteria, divided into four subject areas: environment, labor and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement. These criteria are based on international CSR standards such as the ten principles of the UN Global Compact, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards, the International Labor Organization (ILO) conventions, the CERES principles, the ISO 26000 standard and the UN -Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights, also known as the “Ruggie Framework”.
More sustainable steels and steel tube products
Sustainable steel and steel tube products are becoming increasingly important for customers. Benteler Steel/Tube initiated the “Green Pipes” strategy back in 2020. Leverages for reducing the CO2 footprint in pipe production include, for example, electricity from renewable energies, electrification of production facilities and CO2-neutral raw materials for welded pipes.
With the help of an electric arc furnace, new, high-quality steel and “billets” for steel pipe production are created from recycled scrap in the company’s own steelworks in Lingen. Compared to steel production via the blast furnace route, this produces 75 percent fewer CO2 emissions.
CO2 neutrality by 2045
Last September, CliMore®, an extensive product portfolio for sustainably produced steel and steel pipes, was placed on the market. Benteler Steel/Tube supports its customers from various areas of industry in decarbonizing their supply chains and offers full transparency regarding upstream emissions.
“As a global company in an energy-intensive industry, we are aware of our responsibility for the environment and future generations. Sustainability is therefore an important part of our corporate strategy: We consistently reduce CO2 emissions and rely on a circular economy. We want to become CO2-neutral in the Steel/Tube division by 2045. This includes the supply chain as well as production and our products. Especially in the latter area, with the introduction of our new product brand CliMore®, we have set further accents for more sustainable steels and steel pipe products,” explains Dr. Tobias Braun, CFO of the Benteler Group and Managing Director and CFO of the Steel/Tube Division.
