Sims Metal Management Publishes 2016 Sustainability Report

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Sims Metal Management Limited (Sims)-one of the world’s leading publicly traded metal and electronics recyclers has announced publication of its 2016 Sustainability Report. The report provides analysis of the sustainability efforts carried out by the company during the previous year. It also outlines the new 2020 sustainability goals and the proposed plan of actions to achieve those goals.

According to the report, the company’s operations revolve around five basic principles- Safety, Health, Environment, Community and Sustainability. Sims Metal Management Limited aims to become the world’s safest and most responsible recycling company. Further, it aims to be part of the communities in which it operates, by contributing significantly to the protection and preservation of environment for generations to come.

During FY 16, Sims introduced a number of new safety initiatives, as part of its efforts to achieve world-class safety standards at its facilities. Firstly, it implemented a new global safety incident reporting tool known as VelocityEHS by which all injuries and incidents including first aid, near misses, property damage, motor vehicle etc., are recorded in addition to normally recorded lost workday injuries. During the entire year, Sims recorded a total of 1,513 incidents, 1,603 near-misses and 7,377 hazard identifications. Also, the company continued to implement new standard operating procedures (SOPs) which were introduced in FY 15.

The total energy usage by the company in FY 16 has declined sharply by 20% from the year before. Over the past five years, it has achieved 10% reduction in overall fuel consumption. Similarly, electricity consumption too has dropped by 10% during this period. Furthermore, the increased use of biodiesel has led to significant cost savings for the company. The energy efficiency efforts were mainly on the back of solar power generated from Brooklyn and Claremont sites and wind power from Brooklyn wind turbine. The strategic action plan to upgrade equipment and implement technology improvements has resulted in notable reduction in energy consumption across Sims’ European facilities.

The Sustainability Report outlines the 2020 goals which were earlier approved by its Board in 2015. The goals include 10% cut each in fuel and electricity consumption and 15% reduction in water consumption. It also proposes to reduce waste generation by 10% and bring about 100% ban on the idling of mobile equipment in its yards.