Where would voestalpine environmental management be without environmental data management?

Comprehensive environmental data management, i.e. the software-based reporting system for all environment-related data within the Group, forms the basis for voestalpine’s good environmental performance, and is included in publications such as the CR Report.

Figures don’t lie, and that includes environmental figures—when they are as meticulously and soundly researched as they are at voestalpine. Each year, at the end of the business year, key environmental data is collected from about 130 of the Group’s environmentally relevant production companies around the world. “The companies submit their data online, and here in the Environmental Management department the data are evaluated and then processed,” says Roland Mayr who is responsible for reporting.

Seamless environmental data management

Up to 150 different, environmentally relevant key figures are recorded in this reporting process—all from environmentally relevant areas including energy and material efficiency, emissions, water and waste management and the circular economy, as well as expenditures and investments designed to improve environmental performance. The SoFi software tool which has been used for the past four years is essential to the reporting process. “The data quality has constantly improved over the years. That shows growing awareness of data management in the companies, whether based in Europe, China, or at other voestalpine locations,” Mayr reports.

Data provide the foundations

The data are then incorporated in several voestalpine reports, including the CR Report on sustainability, the annual financial statements, and the environmental statements published by the locations in accordance with the EMAS regulation, as well as being forwarded to interest groups such as worldsteel and EUROFER (European Steel Association) for sector-specific cooperation projects. “We also process the data further for use in various life cycle assessments for voestalpine products and product groups. These assessments are used to determine the ecological footprint of our products (e.g. greenhouse gas emissions) along the entire value chain, from raw materials production through to leaving the factory gates,” Mayr explains. The Environmental Product Declarations, such as those demanded by customers purchasing heavy plate and steels with organic coatings, are also based on our environmental data management.

Going beyond the statutory requirements

All these reporting processes are subject to strict legal requirements which voestalpine not only meets, but consistently exceeds. “We are very particular when it comes to data quality, also for our own sake, because it enables us to make voestalpine’s environmental performance visible, allowing it to be measured, controlled, and subsequently optimized,” stresses Johann Prammer, Head of Strategic Environmental Management. The environmental data is also essential for transparent communication within the Group on all environmentally relevant issues.

Data for dialog

It is not only the authorities who are interested in the key performance indicators—customers are also increasingly concerned with their suppliers’ environmental performance, demanding proof of this performance. “Additionally, time and again potential investors request information on environmental performance which substantiates our sustainability,” Johann Prammer knows. Moreover, the environmental key performance indicators are the central basis for discussion in voestalpine dialog with stakeholders on issues such as energy and climate policy.

More on environment: http://www.voestalpine.com/environment