Environment

GRI 302, 306, 307, 308: 103-1, 103-2, 103-3
GRI 102-12

At Metalsa, we are committed to perform our operations with a focus on the prevention of pollution to protect the environment through the efficient use of resources and the continuous improvement of our overall environmental performance.

We understand our great responsibility when conducting our operations. We ratify our commitment to protect the environment by creating awareness of our environmental impact and implementing actions to mitigate our footprint.

The Environmental, Health and Safety Department is in charge of monitoring environmental performance. Additionally, it establishes annual performance objectives, based on the performance of the previous year, sales conditions and the number of projects assigned to the sites.

Through our Environmental Management System, we map and minimize our operations’ risks and impacts on the planet. We carry out specific actions to achieve the reduction of energy and water consumption, as well as waste control and diminution, which in turn lead to finding new opportunities to decrease its generation and materials’ use.

We strive to comply with the best practices and environmental standards and regulations in every region where we operate. All our manufacturing sites are certified under ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management System.

The Environmental, Health and Safety area designs and deploys tools and programs, both technical and to raise awareness, that support the reduction of energy consumption and the implementation of efficiency projects. Each plant is in charge of executing them individually and consequently, must comply with the local legislation and particular conditions of the region.

Global Sustainability Awareness Program


GRI 302: 103-1, 103-2, 103-3
GRI 302-1, 302-3, 302-4, 306-1, 306-3, 306-4

We strive to promote a comprehensive approach to sustainability; thus, we encourage all sites to develop innovative projects that help protect the environment and promote an efficient resource use.

Every manufacturing site defines a KPI to focus their efforts on –GHG emissions, energy or water consumption or waste management– and implements their solutions to have a positive impact on the planet.

Furthermore, we maintain our emissions and waste within parameters defined by local regulations in all the communities where we have presence. We measure the emissions of gases and particles pursuant to regulatory requirements of our operating sites to ensure the health and safety of our collaborators and neighboring communities and to protect the environment.

Most of the greenhouse gases generated in our operations relate to our consumption of fossil fuels –such as gasoline, diesel, natural gas and propane– and electrical energy. Our commitment to reduce GHG emissions is focused on energy savings and efficiency goals in our process and involves all our sites and collaborators.

During 2020, we included several activities within our Global Sustainability Awareness Program to increase sustainable use of resources, as well as to brainstorming sessions to come up with new ideas among collaborators to improve daily processes.

2020 energy data7

We are currently working on a strategy to increase the renewable energy we use at manufacturing plants, as well as updating all technology to improve potency factors and make our energy use more efficient.

1,721,179GJ
total consumption | -40% vs 2019
842.84 GJ /
million dolars
Intensity | -11% vs 2019

2020 GHG emissions data

We have implemented several reductions projects in every manufacturing site, achieving a 2% decrease in carbon intensity vs 2019.

76tCO2e
/ million dolars
Intensity
EMISSIONS tCO 2 e DIRECT EMISSIONS SCOPE 1 49,109.27 INDIRECT EMISSIONS SCOPE 2 105,504.40
154,613.67 tCO2e
total emissions | -2.56% vs 2019
7 Part of the 2020 energy reductions was due to the Body & Chassis Business Unit divestment and the periods of low productions derived from COVID-19 restrictions and manufacturing sites closing.

2020 waste data

Moreover, we aim to decrease waste in all our manufacturing sites to promote a circular economy, where the ultimate goal is to produce zero waste. We separate and dispose of generated waste mainly in two categories: hazardous and non-hazardous waste.

6,785tons
total waste | -21.8% vs 2019
WASTE tons HAZARDOUS WASTE 3,138 NON-HAZARDOUS WASTE 3,648
1,304tons
of non-hazardous
waste recycled

2020 water data

Water is a valuable and fundamental resource in the operation of Metalsa. Therefore, in all our activities we strive to maximize and make its use more efficient by assessing risks on water-stressed regions, through the World Resources Institute (WRI) Aqueduct Tool.

669,483 m3
Water withdrawals | -37.05% vs 2019

Within our organization we make an effort to correctly manage the remnants of our production, also including water management.

Regarding water discharges, we comply with the parameters of local regulations. We use chemical processes to ensure the quality of the water used goes through internal and external water treatment plants, and is subsequently discharged into municipal sewage systems.

105,958.01 m3
Water discharges
during 2020