19 June 2024 – A serious environmental scandal could be developing around the Italian stainless steel manufacturer Arvedi Acciai Speciali Terni, which recently received its ResponsibleSteel certification. Following the resignation of the environment councillor of the Bandecchi council, the Italian media have jumped on the incident in Terni. And in Italy, stainless steel prices are rising due to massive production backlogs at EU stainless steel manufacturers.
The fact that the ResponsibleSteel certification, which the European steel manufacturers in particular have come up with, looks more like a public relations measure for green washing than a real assumption of responsibility, should become clear once again with the case of environmental damage caused by the Italian stainless steel manufacturer Arvedi AST in Terni, according to media reports. Stuffing Machine
While ResponsibleSteel announced on its website on 3 June 2024 that “Arvedi Acciai Speciali Terni earns first ResponsibleSteel certification in Italy”, the Environment councillor of the Bandecchi council, Terni, Mascia Aniello, resigned on 10 June 2024 following further serious verbal attacks in the council.
Among other things, in addition to the verbal attacks, the resignation was about heavy pollution of the air and soil with chrome and nickel residues from the production of the steelworks, which had recently received its Responsible Steel certification.
For several years now, the mill belonging to the Arvedi Group has been criticised for its massive pollution of the environment with heavy metals, which are four times higher than would have been permitted under Italian law. Nickel pollution in particular is 12 times higher than would be permitted under German environmental regulations, for example. The chrome load even exceeds the German limits by a factor of 200.
Following the resignation of Mascia Aniello, the official authorities in Terni are endeavouring to defend themselves against her accusations. Overall, however, the whole thing seems to be developing into a full-blown scandal, at least according to the impression conveyed by the Italian media.
This is a prime example of how the focus on decarbonisation and certifications that EU steel producers are developing themselves is intended to distract attention from other important environmental impacts. ResponsibleSteel should therefore urgently reconsider its own half-baked green washing certifications.
But as long as EU steel and stainless steel manufacturers are protected by our Brussels Queen through dubious systems such as the carbon border tax CBAM and other market protection measures, all is still well with the world, right?
Italian stainless steel prices have risen significantly in recent weeks due to an increasingly widespread shortage. In particular, the strikes at a large Finnish stainless steel manufacturer and the labour strike at a Spanish mill, which has been ongoing for more than four months, have torn a significant hole in European production and created a huge supply backlog that is unlikely to be made up this year.
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