Nearly 3.5 million tons of steel. This is how much ArcelorMittal Poland's blast furnaces produced last year - it's as much as the total weight of one million medium-sized delivery vehicles! Thanks to projects improving the energy efficiency of plants, the company managed to save over 1,500 MWh - that is, as much energy as consumed by almost 800 households on the Vistula River each year. However, production is not everything - ArcelorMittal Poland has supported nearly 70 social projects in the three voivodeships where it operates. The company summarized last year's activities in the new sustainability report for 2022.
- Steel plays a significant role in the life of every person, including our neighbors. A great example here is the construction of sports facilities in Sosnowiec, of which our company is the title sponsor. Today, ArcelorMittal Park serves as a unique space for the region's inhabitants, including our employees and their families. These facilities model the use of steel, which we call "the material of the modern world", and our commitment to the development of the immediate environment - says Sanjay Samaddar, president of ArcelorMittal Poland.
PLN 24 million for local communities
ArcelorMittal Poland, which is the largest and most modern steel and coke producer in Poland and has 5 steelworks and the largest coking plant in Europe, in 2022 employed nearly 10,000 people in three voivodeships: Silesia, Lesser Poland and Opole. It is these local communities, including employees and their families, that the company has been supporting for many years.
In 2022, ArcelorMittal Poland financed or co-financed 69 social projects in all locations where it operates. The company's employees were also involved in helping local communities and had been working as volunteers for years, including: in social welfare homes, orphanages, schools and animal shelters.
- Since the beginning of our operations in Poland, i.e. over the last 19 years, we have already allocated over PLN 24 million to support local communities - emphasizes Karolina Muza-Adamiec, head of the Campus, Corporate Responsibility, Diversity and Employer Branding. – Every PLN spent went to support projects that helped our neighbors develop and overcome barriers - not only infrastructural, physical, but also financial and social ones. It is a great joy to observe how our surroundings are changing for the better and to know that we had a small part in it - she adds.
Last year, ArcelorMittal Poland, among others, continued cooperation with the Foundation for Education, Prevention and Psychotherapy "Droga", which provides psychological support for those in need. We also managed to co-finance the purchase of doors, window blinds, and multimedia equipment for therapy rooms. Support also came from, among others, to firefighters from Świętochłowice, honorary blood donors from Krakow, Dąbrowa Górnicza and Zdzieszowice, or the Zdzieszowice association helping children with disabilities, as well as the animal shelter in Krakow and the Małopolska Hospice for Children in Nowa Huta.
However, the company was not indifferent to the harm and suffering of its neighbors across the eastern border. Since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, she has helped the injured and their families - especially employees from ArcelorMittal in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine. Several hundred people were provided with transport from the border as well as accommodation, food and hygiene products. The company also donated PLN 2.6 million to the Health Protection Foundation in Dąbrowa Górnicza, which purchased the most necessary equipment and medical supplies for three hospitals in Kryvyi Rih and one in Lviv.
It's not everything. ArcelorMittal Poland employees joined the collection themselves and organized material aid: food, hygiene products, necessary medicines. They took part in volunteering activities and organized accommodation for their neighbors fleeing the cruelty of war.
Recycling and investments reducing environmental impact
In line with the declaration of the ArcelorMittal group to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the European Union by 35%. by 2030 and achieving neutrality in terms of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, the company is constantly working on reducing the carbon footprint in its plants. Since the beginning of ArcelorMittal's presence in Poland, i.e. since 2004, the company has reduced dust emissions by 90% and CO2 emissions by 35%. Despite constantly limiting the impact of its activities on the environment, ArcelorMittal Poland, in accordance with legal requirements, pays an annual fee for the use of the environment. Only last year it amounted to over PLN 21 million.
Energy efficiency is currently a very important aspect for many large companies, especially energy-intensive ones. Last year alone, ArcelorMittal Poland implemented 17 projects that saved a total of over 1,500 MWH per year. In addition, the company places great emphasis on recycling, among others: scrap (nearly 1 million tons were processed at the steelworks in Dąbrowa Górnicza), waste gases, but also water and sewage. In 2022, the company reused approximately 55% of its production processes. purified water in the steelworks in Dąbrowa Górnicza, the same amount in Zdzieszowice and approx. 70 percent water in Krakow.
It is also worth mentioning that ArcelorMittal Nad sources raw materials and products needed for production in Poland whenever possible. 100 percent coke and fluxes and approx. 70 percent coal comes from Polish suppliers.
