The Brazilian steel industry undertaken the mission of providing effectively the domestic supply of steel products and participate, permanently, of the world’s steel trade, contributing for the sustainable development and social well-being of the country.

Brazilian steel companies invest in social responsibility projects in the fields of culture, professional capacitation and income generation, as well as health and sanitation, scientific research, enterpreneurship and total quality, development of citizenship and volunteer work, child and adolescent support, and feeding programs.

Learn more about the sector’s initiatives by visiting Steel Industry Social Balance 2008 (only available in Portuguese).

Producing more steel with less inputs and raw materials is another priority for the Brazilian steel industry. Programs regarding energy conservation, water recirculation and steel and byproducts recycling are increasing the sector’s ecoefficiency.

Steel is today the most recyclable and recycled product in the world. At the end of their usable life, products such as cars, refrigerators, ovens, cans, bars and wire become scrap, fed to the mill’s furnaces, producing again steel with the same quality. See the Recycling flow.

The sector undertook the challenge of going beyond meeting environmental protection legislation requirements, developing clean technologies. For that purpose, it sets up partnerships with universities, research institutions and other industrial segments, promoting studies and projects aiming at rationalizing the consumption of raw materials and inputs, optimizing the energetic efficiency and maximizing the exploitation of gases, water and byproducts of the processes involved in steel production.

Environmental education and training programs for their employees and the community are developed in order to reduce the risk of accidents and environmental impact, as well as to better integrate and promote transparency for the companies’ activities before the population. Between 1994 and 2004, the environment-related investments made by the steel sector amounted to US$ 1,06 billion, with an additional US$ 184 million forecast for the period between 2005 and 2010.