Voestalpine

No leading practices were identified in the governance and strategy area.

No leading practices were identified in the ecosystems and biodiversity area.

No leading practices were identified in the social inclusion and community impact area.

Sustainability strategy and accountability
Voestalpine discloses its process for identifying and prioritising its most relevant sustainability impacts as well as the outcome of this process, in relation to its sustainability strategy. The company does not disclose group-wide targets on key sustainability topics for the most material parts of its value chain.
Although Voestalpine discloses its Management Board members, no evidence the company assigned decision-making and oversight responsibility for its sustainability strategy to the Board has been found in the public domain. No evidence was found that the company links performance criteria in senior executives’ remuneration policies to targets and objectives which cover nature, including biodiversity, and social issues. The company does not disclose whether its highest governance body has expertise regarding nature-related topics.

Stakeholder engagement
Voestalpine discloses an overview of the issues raised during its stakeholder engagement activities. The company discloses how often and through which channels it engages with various stakeholder groups.

Lobbying
Voestalpine discloses a list of trade associations of which it is a member wherever it operates. However, the company does not disclose a clear and detailed framework for assessing alignment of its trade associations with nature-positive policies. The company does not report (potential) misalignment between the lobbying activities of its trade associations and nature-positive policies.

Impact and dependencies assessment
Voestalpine has not holistically assessed its impacts or how it depends on nature, including biodiversity. It has an opportunity to start such an assessment across its value chains, focused on quantification of its impacts or dependencies.

Key areas and species
Voestalpine does not disclose key species or areas important for biodiversity affected by its operations or suppliers. It has an opportunity to increase its transparency.

Ecosystem conversion and restoration
No evidence was found regarding Voestalpine’s efforts to avoid ecosystem conversion, including deforestation, or promote restoration. The company has an opportunity to develop a strategy and publicly report on specific, time-bound targets.

Resource exploitation and circularity
While Voestalpine discloses its recycling rate relative to product output, no evidence the company discloses its materials used by weight or volume and recycled input materials has been found in the public domain. The company does not report quantitatively on its group-wide circularity performance. While the company mentions developing new approaches that minimise environmental effects on air, soil and water, it is unclear what exactly is the approach that could improve soil health. The company does not disclose a target to improve soil health in its production or sourcing practices.

Water
While Voestalpine discloses its water use, the amount increased in 2021 compared to the previous year. The company does not disclose a time-bound target to reduce water withdrawal across its own operations. While the company discloses the proportion of direct and indirect water scarcity footprint, no evidence the company discloses the proportion of withdrawals from water-stressed areas in its own operations has been found in the public domain. The company does not engage with suppliers to reduce water withdrawal.
Voestalpine does not report a decrease in water pollution. The company does not disclose its processes for managing and monitoring discharge water quality. The company does not regularly report on water pollution. The company does not disclose targets to reduce water pollution. The company does not disclose a commitment to respect the right to water. The company does not disclose its processes for implementing preventive and corrective action plans for identified specific risks to the right to water and sanitation in its own operations.

Solid and air pollution
While Voestalpine discloses measures to reutilize residual products and waste, it is unclear about the specific measures to reduce the production of hazardous waste. The company reports some activities to reduce plastic use and waste in its own operations. The company discloses reusing waste such as scrap and plastic in the production plants. No evidence that the company reduces plastic use and waste in its own operations was found. The company does not report on the amount of plastic waste generated and proportions directed from or to disposal.
Voestalpine reports regularly on SO2 emissions, NOx emissions, captured dust emissions, and VOC emissions as its air quality parameters of emissions of harmful air pollutants. The company does not report time-bound targets to reduce air pollutants across the most material parts of its value chain.

GHG emissions
While Voestalpine addresses the scope 1 emissions for two steel production sites will reduce by 30% by 2030, no evidence that the company has group-wide time-bound targets to reduce its scope 1 and 2 emissions has been found in the public domain. Moreover, no evidence that the company reduces its scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions compared to the previous year and reports progress against its target. The company must immediately set a reduction target aligned with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5-degree trajectory.
While Voestalpine discloses its scope 3 emissions, no evidence that the company reduces its scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions compared to the previous year. The company also does not set a time-bound reduction target on scope 3 emissions. The company must immediately set a reduction target aligned with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5-degree trajectory.

Invasive species
Voestalpine has not identified any activities that could lead to the introduction of invasive alien species in its own operations.

Safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment
Voestalpine does not disclose a commitment to respecting local communities’ right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment or to zero tolerance for acts of violence, threats, intimidation or judicial harassment committed against land and environmental rights defenders.

Indigenous Peoples’ and land rights
While Voestalpine mentions Indigenous Peoples’ rights, it reports no commitment to respect their rights which references the relevant part(s) of ILO Convention No. 169 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples or the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The company does not disclose its processes for identifying and recognising the rights of Indigenous Peoples when activities in its own operations may impact their rights, nor does it describe how it obtains Indigenous Peoples’ free, prior and informed consent. The company does not disclose a commitment to respect ownership and use of land and natural resources and related legitimate tenure rights, as set out in the relevant part(s) of the VGGTs or the IFC Performance Standards. No evidence was found that the company requires its business relationships to have a process to identify legitimate tenure rightsholders, paying particular attention to vulnerable or marginalised tenure rightsholders, and to negotiate with them to provide adequate compensation.

While Voestalpine discloses that it conducts risk management which includes aspects of human rights, it has an opportunity to specify that it conducts human rights due diligence that includes a process for identifying human rights risks and impacts through its business relationships. The company has an opportunity to describe a process for assessing the human rights risks it has identified and to disclose what it considers to be its salient human rights issues. A description of this process would include how relevant factors are considered, such as geographical, economic and social factors. No evidence was found that the company has a global system to act on its salient human rights issues.
While Voestalpine discloses the categories of stakeholders it engages with generally on sustainability issues, it is not clear if these stakeholders are those whose human rights have been or may be affected by its activities. No evidence that the company provides examples of its engagement with stakeholders whose human rights have been or may be affected by its activities was found.

Voestalpine has a publicly available policy statement which shows it is committed to respecting the health and safety of workers and that it expects its suppliers to commit so as well. The company has an opportunity to disclose a time-bound target for paying all workers a living wage or that it has achieved paying all workers a living wage. The company has an opportunity to describe how it determines a living wage for the regions where it operates. The company discloses the proportion of its total direct operations workforce covered by collective bargaining agreements. No evidence that the company describes how it works to support the practices of its suppliers in relation to freedom of association and collective bargaining was found.

Voestalpine discloses a global tax strategy. The company has an opportunity to disclose a policy on bribery and corruption and its processes for identifying and addressing bribery and corruption. No evidence that the company has a publicly available policy statement or policy setting out its lobbying and political engagement approach was found. The company specifies that it does not make political contributions.