Responsible procurement
Interest in the responsible procurement of raw materials has grown in prominence in recent years and Corus is positioning itself at the forefront of steel industry efforts to formulate best practice in this area.
In Europe, the focus on responsible procurement has largely been associated with the UK construction sector. Here we have contributed, through the Construction Products Association and the Building Research Establishment (BRE), to the development of a U K standard for the responsible procurement of construction products. At the same time, we have continued to work with a range of stakeholders, under the auspices of the UK’s Eden Project, to further understand the key criteria for assessing responsibility within constructional steel supply chains.
During 2008, Milieudefensie, a leading environmental pressure group in the Netherlands, carried out a detailed investigation into the environmental and social impacts of raw materials imported by large Dutch companies. Tata Steel Europe was approached to provide information on the procurement of coal and tin used at the IJmuiden steelworks, and responded with openness and with transparency. Milieudefensie’s report commends the company for having established systems to prevent the procurement of tin from regions where environmental protection and human rights are not being adequately addressed. The report also included a number of recommendations to further improve ourprocurement practices, and we are taking these forward.
All of our external iron ore suppliers have management systems certified to ISO 14001. Our principal supplier, Vale, has initiated a wide range of initiatives to contribute to the protection of biodiversity and the elimination of poverty in the areas of Brazil where their operations are located.
My Order
