This is our third Sustainability Report, in which we aim to offer our stakeholders a balanced record of our performance in meeting our triple-bottom line responsibilities. It details the most pressing socio-economic, ethical and environmental issues relating to the impact of ArcelorMittal South Africa’s operations.
In compiling this report, we are committed to producing an objective and credible account of our performance in these areas. Although it has not undergone externally independent assurance, we have been guided in its compilation by the principles of good governance as introduced by the King II Report of 2002, the Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) G3 Guidelines (see index appended) and the department of trade and industry’s codes of good practice. The standards contained in these three guidelines have been used as benchmarks to measure our performance and progress.
This report covers the year ended 31 December 2008 and is limited to the operations of ArcelorMittal South Africa; it does not include those of the international ArcelorMittal Group, our 52% parent company. Most of the information relating to the company’s social impact combines the activities of all our business units around the country, though some operational and environmental information is presented separately for each production facility.