BlueScope is committed to continuous improvement, as highlighted in its latest Sustainability Report.
Managing Director and CEO, Mark Vassella (pictured) said, “BlueScope’s FY2018 Sustainability Report communicates our progress in further embedding sustainability into every aspect of how we do business.
“Our sustainability reporting explains the work we are doing to ensure BlueScope is alert, responsive and adapting to every aspect of our ever-changing environment.
“We and our customers proudly bring inspiration, strength and colour to communities with BlueScope.
“In FY2017 we engaged with a cross section of our stakeholder groups and identified five sustainability topics considered most material to our business – safety, health and wellness; climate change and energy; diversity and inclusion; governance and business conduct; and supply chain sustainability.
“These topics form the foundation for BlueScope’s sustainability reporting, which follows the core option of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).
“In recent years we have increased the emphasis on diversity and we have focused initially on improving our gender balance.
“During FY2018 we made significant gains across all levels of our Company: one in three new recruits in operating roles is female, we have doubled the rate of hiring women to all roles across the Company, and women now comprise 33 per cent of our Board and Executive Leadership Team.
“Every business, in every region, has made a determined effort and contributed to this change which is actively reshaping our organisation and building the Company we want to be in the future.”
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE REPORT
BlueScope’s approach to sustainability:
Underpinned by the values and principles described in Our Bond, to BlueScope, sustainability means developing, manufacturing and selling steel products and solutions in a manner that provides for a sustainable future.
This requires a focus on continuous improvement, adopting new operating methods and anticipating new products to support the future needs of a sustainable society.
Building long-term value:
Steel has a critical role to play in underpinning sustainable development.
Steel is one of the most used1, recycled and therefore vital materials in our modern world.
Whether it is for infrastructure, housing, transport systems, manufacturing or energy, steel will continue to play a vital role in meeting the challenge of transitioning to a more sustainable future.
Steel is central to a circular economy – one where society ensures resources and materials remain in use for as long as possible.
BlueScope is taking advantage of the opportunities that a circular economy presents.
Advances in technology have led to product innovations such as lighter and stronger products, improved thermal efficiency and greater resistance to extreme weather and corrosion.
These factors help extend the life of products such as COLORBOND® steel which conserves resources and energy that may otherwise be invested in products with a shorter life span.
1 worldsteel, www.worldsteel.org/about-steel/steel-facts
Stakeholder engagement:
We rely on the support of our stakeholders, with whom we work to develop and maintain relationships.
Our Bond identifies our key stakeholders:
- our customers
- our shareholders
- our people
- our communities.
In addition, we recognise the governments and regulatory bodies, suppliers and joint venture partners who also have an interest in the performance of our business.
We conducted a comprehensive materiality assessment to identify the sustainability topics that matter most to our stakeholders. The results were used to inform our strategic approach to sustainability and sustainability initiatives.
Sustainability Council:
BlueScope’s Sustainability Council is comprised of members of the Executive Leadership Team and senior management.
The Sustainability Council is responsible for understanding our sustainability exposures, engaging with key stakeholders and directing the consistent implementation of sustainability initiatives across our global businesses.
Success comes from people:
BlueScope continues to build a workplace culture guided by our values of trust and respect, which actively promotes a relentless focus on safety, drives diversity and inclusion and develops skills, talent and leadership for our global businesses.
This culture is critical to our success. We have an engaged workforce which operates in a safe environment and is encouraged to embrace the highest expectations of personal and professional behaviour.
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COLORBOND®, BlueScope & the BlueScope brand mark are registered trademarks of BlueScope Steel Limited.
© 2019 BlueScope Steel Limited. ABN 16 000 011 058. All rights reserved.
1. Worldsteel – www.worldsteel.org/about-steel/steel-facts
This article was first published in The Fence magazine.