A 2009 energy reduction initiative in Long Marston scrap yard near Stratford upon Avon reduced energy consumption by 21%.
Corporate Social Responsibility
Corporate governance is a high priority for Sims Metal Management. We review and audit a wide range of resource usage across our business, whilst our core business of metal recycling benefits society as a whole. Recycling helps to preserve scarce natural resources, lessen water usage, reduce pollution and cut dependence on landfill. We also sponsor a national initiative that encourages recycling whilst contributing to sustainable development.
Sims Metal Management has a corporate commitment to measure and report our sustainability performance in the following areas:
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Energy Use (1% reduction in 2009 in Europe)
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CO2 Emissions (4% reduction in Europe in 2009)
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Water Use (42% reduction in Europe in 2009)
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Waste Generation (11% European reduction in 2009)
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Key Health and Safety Indicators
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Employee Retention
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Employee Diversity
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Industrial Relations
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Training and Development
These key performance indicators, together with our reporting on fiscal parameters and corporate governance, form the basis of our response under the benchmark guidelines as set out in the Global Reporting Initiative. During 2009, Sims Metal Management participated in the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP6) for the fourth consecutive year, and the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the second time.
During fiscal year 2009, Sims Metal Management handled 12.6 million tonnes of ferrous metal worldwide. The energy saved by recycling this metal rather than extracting virgin materials prevented the emission of more than 13.6 million tonnes of CO2 to the atmosphere, almost enough to neutralise the carbon emissions of Sweden.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), using recycled steel instead of primary ore in steel production reduces:
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Energy consumption by 74%
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Air pollution by 86%
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Water consumption by 40%
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Water pollution by 76%
At the 2010 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Sims Metal Management was named in the world's top 100 most sustainable corporations.
The Global Top 100 Most Sustainable Corporations list identifies companies which consistently demonstrate superior leadership and performance on a range of environmental, social and governance policies relative to their industry peers.
Companies on the list are considered better equipped than their competitors to thrive and succeed in the longer term due to the sustainable approach used to manage their business.
Read the related news story or visit the Global 100 website for more information.
For further information about the Sims Metal Management approach to corporate social responsibility, please contact Head Office on 01789 720 431.