East Flanders Environmental Charter

ArcelorMittal Gent is a multiple laureate of the East Flanders Environmental Charter. The East Flanders Environmental Charter was initiated by the East Flanders Chamber of Commerce (VOKA). It encourages local companies to pursue an active environmental policy. By doins so, VOKA aims to improve the environment and the living conditions in the region. Companies participate voluntarily.

When taking part in the initiative, it is important to set clear objectives and to stipulate the necessary actions that have to be taken for at least four (out of the ten) environmental issues included in the Environmental Charter. At the end of the action year, an assessment team, composed of representatives of various environmental authorities, visits the company to inspect whether the proposed actions have been achieved and legal requirements are met. If both conditions are fulfilled, the organization is awarded the Environmental Charter Certificate.

The Environmental Charter is a continuation of our Environmental Management System. It helps us in defining clear objectives and in determining concrete actions that we want to complete in a short period of time (1 year). We have been taking part in this initiative as of 2003. The incentive assists us in continuously improving our environmental performance, which is the overall goal of the ISO 14001 standard.