Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works has been named one of the World Wildlife Fund’s Top Ten most environmentally responsible mining and metallurgic companies in Russia in 2017.
MMK came eighth place in a list, the highest achievement for Russia’s iron and steel companies. The results of the study were presented at the UN office in Russia, on the eve of the 5th All-Russian Environmental Protection Congress on December 11
The environmental rating includes the 33 biggest mining and metallurgic companies in Russia. It enables a comparison between the companies in the sector based on their environmental responsibility and the scale of their environmental impact, including biodiversity. The rating also represents the dynamic changes currently taking place in the industry as a whole. Moreover, because the study was based on publicly available data, the rating assessed the companies’ transparency and how they publicize information concerning the environment.
This is not the first time that MMK’s environmental initiatives have been recognized by the expert community. Previously, in a list prepared by the Living Planet TV channel and the Institute of Modern Media (MOMRI), MMK was placed in the Top Ten environmental enterprises in the Russian fuel and metallurgic sector for the first half of 2017.
As part of the long-term and sustainable development of the company, MMK’s strategy focuses on implementing the best available technologies in order to continually reduce and in turn prevent any harmful impact on the environment. In the period up to 2025, MMK will spend more than 35 billion rubles on its environmental policy. This year alone the company implemented a number of environmental projects. In particular, the reconstruction of Sulfur Collection Unit No. 2 in the sinter plant and the installation of ventilation systems for the foundries of blast furnaces No. 9 and No. 10. Construction also began on the MMK water recycling system, with the aim of reducing the amount of pollutants discharged into the Magnitogorsk reservoir.
Environmental responsibility rating in the mining and metallurgic sector was prepared by the National Ratings Agency on behalf of World Wildlife Fund (WFF) Russia, as well as a project by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Russia named “Mainstreaming biodiversity conservation into Russia’s energy sector policies and operations”. The purpose of the rating was to increase corporate responsibility for mining and metallurgical companies and to create for stakeholders an effective feedback mechanism for the industry. (MMK/Ukrainian metal)