Case study: How Qatar Steel promotes responsible materials management
Established in 1974 as the first integrated iron and steel plant in the Arabian Gulf, over the past four decades Qatar Steel made a reputation as an established leader in the steel industry within the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) region, with its steel going into the making of buildings and structures all across the Middle East and North Africa. Qatar Steel is committed to improving the environmental, social, and economic impacts of its operations, including throughout its supply chain. This commitment starts with the responsible use and sourcing of raw materials. Tweet This!
This case study is based on the 2019 Sustainability Report by Qatar Steel published on the Global Reporting Initiative Sustainability Disclosure Database that can be found at this link. Through all case studies we aim to demonstrate what CSR/ ESG/ sustainability reporting done responsibly means. Essentially, it means: a) identifying a company’s most important impacts on the environment, economy and society, and b) measuring, managing and changing.
Abstract
The iron ore used for Qatar Steel’s production is sourced from globally reputable companies, all of which are certified according to the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System and ISO 9001 Quality Management System. In order to promote responsible materials management Qatar Steel took action to:
- implement a Life Cycle Assessment
- promote responsible sourcing
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With this case study you will see:
- Which are the most important impacts (material issues) Qatar Steel has identified;
- How Qatar Steel proceeded with stakeholder engagement, and
- What actions were taken by Qatar Steel to promote responsible materials management
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What are the material issues the company has identified?
In its 2019 Sustainability Report Qatar Steel identified a range of material issues, such as operational efficiency, employee and contractor safety, emergency preparedness, energy consumption, product innovation. Among these, promoting responsible materials management stands out as a key material issue for Qatar Steel.
Stakeholder engagement in accordance with the GRI Standards
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) defines the Principle of Stakeholder Inclusiveness when identifying material issues (or a company’s most important impacts) as follows:
Stakeholders must be consulted in the process of identifying a company’s most important impacts and their reasonable expectations and interests must be taken into account. This is an important cornerstone for CSR / sustainability reporting done responsibly.
Key stakeholder groups Qatar Steel engages with:
| Stakeholder Group | Method of engagement |
| IQ / QP
| · One to One Meetings, Visits & Workshops · AGM · Board Meetings · Business Visit · Joint Programmes &Partnerships |
| Investment
| · AGM · Board Meetings · Visits |
| Suppliers
| · Business Visit · Conferences & Seminars · Emails / Virtual meeting platform |
| People
| · Intranet · One to One Meetings & Annual Gathering · Training Programmes · Code of Ethics & Business Conduct |
| Traders / Customers / End-customer influence bodies | · One to One Meetings
|
| Regulatory Bodies / Steel Association
| · Joint Programmes & Partnerships · One to One Meetings · Conferences & Seminars · Audit Reports · Press Releases · Interviews · Sponsorships |
How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues
To identify and prioritise material topics Qatar Steel engaged with its stakeholders through interviews, to obtain stakeholder feedback on material sustainability issues.
What actions were taken by Qatar Steel to promote responsible materials management?
In its 2019 Sustainability Report Qatar Steel reports that it took the following actions for promoting responsible materials management:
- Implementing a Life Cycle Assessment
- In 2019, Qatar Steel completed a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) on its products through a third-party evaluator, BRE Global, in accordance with the requirements of EN15804:2012 and A1:2013. By applying Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to its products, Qatar Steel is fully aware of its products’ environmental impacts throughout all stages of their life cycle, from mining to manufacturing, transport, use and recycling or disposal. This “cradle-to-grave” analysis is required to meet the international accreditations in manufacturing for Qatar Steel’s high-grade steel. Qatar Steel seeks to take full advantage of steel’s infinite recyclability by recycling steel scrap generated in Qatar, to further reduce the environmental impacts of its main products. The LCA also provides Qatar Steel with the necessary data to benchmark the environmental performance of the main products and acts as structural support for its environmental decision-making.
- Promoting responsible sourcing
- Qatar Steel has achieved a Responsible Sourcing of Construction Products certificate from UK CARES and holds a BRE BES 6001 Issue 3.1 responsible sourcing certification from UK CARES since 2016.The BRE standard BES 6001 has been published for construction product manufacturers to make sure and then prove that their products have been made with materials that have been responsibly sourced. The standard includes a framework for various aspects such as the organisational governance, supply chain management and environmental and social aspects that have to be addressed in order to ensure the responsible sourcing of construction products. In 2019, Qatar Steel also achieved a performance rating of “VERY GOOD”, becoming the first steel company to achieve a performance rating of “VERY GOOD” for the prestigious BES 6001 Responsible Sourcing Certification from CARES UK after the successful reassessment audit conducted, along with a CARES SCS Scheme Surveillance Audit.
Which GRI Standards and corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been addressed?
The GRI Standards addressed in this case are:
1) Disclosure 301-1 Materials used by weight or volume
2) Disclosure 301-2 Recycled input materials used
Disclosure 301-1 Materials used by weight or volume corresponds to:
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
- Targets: 8.4
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
- Targets: 12.2
Disclosure 301-2 Recycled input materials used corresponds to:
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
- Targets: 8.4
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
- Targets: 12.2, 12.5
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References:
1) This case study is based on published information by Qatar Steel, located at the link below. For the sake of readability, we did not use brackets or ellipses. However, we made sure that the extra or missing words did not change the report’s meaning. If you would like to quote these written sources from the original, please revert to the original on the Global Reporting Initiative’s Sustainability Disclosure Database at the link:
http://database.globalreporting.org/
2) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/
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