Sustainable Business Practices Policy

Our commitment

ArcelorMittal Belgium, with facilities in Ghent, Liège, Geel , and Genk, aims to be a global leader in the production of innovative, high-quality flat steel products while respecting people and the planet. This policy supports the ambitions of the ArcelorMittal Group and serves as the overarching framework for our sustainable business operations.

Close collaboration with customers, local communities, industrial partners and suppliers, academia, R&D centers, political and other public interest representatives, translates into operational and strategic objectives that take into account the expectations of all our stakeholders to the fullest extent. 

In doing so, we act in accordance with our corporate values: respect, openness, collaboration, and subsidiarity. Our sustainable business policy is integrated into our management system, which strives for excellence in the areas of health and safety, human development, the environment and energy, quality and service, and operational results.

Health and Safety

ArcelorMittal Belgium believes that every employee can start and continue working in a healthy and safe environment. We can only achieve our operational and strategic goals within a sustainable health and safety culture. Health and safety are the top priority for our own employees and those of our contractors. 

Our path to zero accidents resulting in injury is based on 10 golden rules, which correspond to the major risks within our company. For each of these rules, standards have been established to prevent accidents. Through a comprehensive action plan focused on people, our “ organization ,” and technology, we continue to work toward our “Journey to Zero.”

We have also developed an action plan for physical and mental health, through which we identify and eliminate risks step by step.

Employees and Motivation

ArcelorMittal Belgium aims to be the employer of choice in the region. Our employees are our greatest asset. 

As part of our career development program, we are strongly committed to providing the necessary training to further develop our employees’ skills. Our employees are encouraged to take charge of their own careers by expressing their preferences for the future and choosing the appropriate development path. 

We live in a time fraught with challenges, such as longer working hours combined with round-the-clock operations, the need to fill hard-to-fill positions, the impact of climate change on our working conditions, and volatile market conditions that call for greater flexibility. We aim to address these challenges by developing flexible HR solutions tailored to the needs of our employees and supported by technology. 

In the area of diversity and inclusion policy, , we believe that bringing together people with different profiles, backgrounds, and experiences leads to more balanced decision-making and approaches. Diversity fosters a broader range of ideas and talents, which supports our philosophy of continuous improvement.

Environment and energy

Steel is a sustainable and environmentally friendly material for creating and maintaining prosperity on Earth. After all, steel is 100% recyclable without any loss of quality.

ArcelorMittal Belgium also aims to take a leading role in the areas of the environment and energy efficiency. We not only want to comply with current and future environmental and energy regulations, but also to improve our environmental performance so that we go beyond what is required by law. 

Furthermore, we are committed to minimizing our specific energy consumption and carbon footprint, reducing waste generation, and maximizing the value of our material flows. We are particularly well-positioned to meet this challenge precisely because we are a fully integrated cluster with efficient transitions between different production departments and highly integrated processes. Our site in Ghent is fully integrated, from the supply of raw materials to the production of finished goods. For transportation to other sites within the cluster, we place a strong emphasis on environmentally friendly modes of transport.

In the context of climate objectives, we are working to reduce our CO₂ footprint along three axes: 

• Energy Efficiency: Based on the principle that the best energy is the energy you don’t use, we focus on maximizing energy efficiency through measures such as insulation, logistics optimization, and the use of waste heat and renewable energy.
• Green Primary: In the production of liquid steel, we will replace coal as much as possible with a combination of electricity and natural gas, and, at a later stage, hydrogen.
• Circularity: To prevent carbon-containing gases from further impacting the climate, we are increasing the role of scrap and are focusing on carbon capture and utilization (CCU) and carbon capture and storage (CCS), as well as circular carbon (for example, the use of waste wood and waste plastics from society as an alternative to fossil coal).

Customer, quality, and service

In a competitive market, customer focus is the key to success. ArcelorMittal Belgium’s goal is to be our customers’ preferred supplier in terms of product offerings, service, and quality.

• Product offering 
  
  We are committed to producing steel that meets our customers’ expectations and the challenges of the market. We continuously improve existing products and develop new ones, as well as new production methods, in close collaboration with the R&D and commercial teams of the ArcelorMittal Group. Our focus lies on advanced high-strength steels, metallic coatings such as Magnelis®, organically coated products and low-carbon footprint products such as our XCarb® range.

  Our product portfolio supports sustainable lifestyles and infrastructure. For example, we develop ultra-high-strength steel in reduced thicknesses to reduce CO₂ emissions and material usage without compromising strength. Our products are suitable for electric vehicles and renewable energy infrastructure. Our third-generation high-strength steels help reduce vehicle weight, lower CO₂ emissions and enhance safety. 

   

• Service 
  
  Our service policy focuses on delivering reliable and timely service, listening to customer feedback to drive continuous improvement and maintaining transparent communication to build strong relationships. We are also committed to sustainability by using CO₂ friendly transport methods and collaborating with customers to ensure a sustainable supply chain.

  Regarding order management, our policy aims to meet customer expectations by confirming orders according to the requested delivery dates, adhering to those timelines, and executing deliveries according to specific instructions regarding packaging, transport and timing.  

• Quality 
  
  At ArcelorMittal Belgium, we strive for excellence in quality. Risks are identified and mitigated using tools such as process FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) and online statistical process controls. Non-conformities and quality issues are thoroughly analyzed and remediated. Our production processes are continuously improved to manufacture cost-efficient, sustainable and high-quality products. We promote a quality-conscious mindset throughout the organization.
  
  We maintain strict quality management systems to ensure that all products meet high standards of quality and reliability. All sites within our cluster are equipped with relevant quality management systems, such as ISO certifications. We aim to be a benchmark for customers in terms of product range, development, and quality.

Operational excellence

Innovation and continuous improvement are part of ArcelorMittal Belgium’s DNA. Our highly skilled employees are continuously striving to further improve and automate our advanced installations and processes. They collaborate with various strategic partners (e.g. research centers, educational institutions, other companies and sectors) and with experts within the ArcelorMittal Group. This enables us to implement the best available technologies and practices across many domains. 

To optimize our business processes and continuously improve our performance, we apply the World Class Manufacturing (WCM) methodology. This involves all disciplines and levels of the organization. We promote ownership so that everyone, within their sphere of influence, actively identifies losses and addresses them in a structured way. For more complex problems, teams work together to eliminate major risks and losses. 

Improvements can only be sustainable if they are embedded in a management system. We aim for a unified management system across all our sites, compliant with various international standards: ISO 45001 for health and safety, ISO 14001 for environment, ISO 50001 for energy management, ISO 9001 and IATF for quality and ResponsibleSteel for various ESG aspects (Environmental, Social & Governance). Our management system ensures that our operational and strategic objectives are achieved.