Harsco Corporation, the parent company of Harsco Rail, the global supplier of railway track maintenance products and services, has released its Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) Report, highlighting the company’s corporate sustainability accomplishments throughout the 2019 fiscal year and the first half of 2020.
The group’s most comprehensive sustainability report to date provides a detailed look at the company’s vision, strategy, values, governance and key focus areas anchoring its sustainability strategy.
It establishes ESG goals across the group programme’s four focus areas and discloses ESG performance data informed by both the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board and Global Reporting Initiative reporting standards.
The company made significant environmental contributions in 2019. It saved over 5 million tonnes of carbon emissions through Harsco’s Environmental division and recycled almost 19 million tons of material, up from 13 million tons the previous year.
Key milestones achieved in the execution of the company’s strategy to transform into global, single thesis environment services business – more than 80 per cent of company revenues are now derived from environmental solutions, compared to about 60-per cent three years ago.
Nick Grasberger, Harsco Chairman and CEO, said: “The world is changing rapidly, and it is vital to acknowledge how Harsco has continued to provide essential services to all our customers while ensuring the safety of our own employees during the COVID-19 crisis.
“Now, more than ever, I am confident in our decision to focus on the urgent societal needs of providing environmental solutions for industrial and specialty waste streams.
“This sustainability report demonstrates the value we are bringing to our customers, communities, employees and shareholders.”
As part of Harsco’s ESG strategy, the company has identified four focus areas where it can deliver business value and positive outcomes for stakeholders:
- Innovative Solutions: Derive over 90 per cent of Harsco’s annual revenue from environmental products and services;
- Inspired People: Enhance diversity and gender representation on the board and senior management;
- Safe Workplaces: Achieve a Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) less than 1.25 in 2020;
- Thriving Environment: Reduce the energy and carbon intensity of operations by 15-percent by 2025.
The report highlights the increased ESG oversight at the director level, achieved by expanding the Governance Committee’s review of company strategy, initiatives and policies, and the enhanced focus on ESG in the 2020 enterprise risk management process.
In addition, Kathy Eddy and Carolann Haznedar, two of Harsco’s directors, were recognized by WomenInc. Magazine as two of the 2019 Most Influential Corporate Board Directors.
Highlight of the four focus areas include:
Innovative Solutions
- Acquired Stericycle’s Environmental Solutions business in April 2020, increasing Harsco’s geographic scale and reach, while enabling the company to create a leading national hazardous waste management platform;
- Launched 22 new environmental solutions across the company;
- Equipped Clean Earth’s water treatment plant in Detroit to accept PFAS-contaminated water, making it one of the first large-scale PFAS water treatment facilities in Michigan.
Inspired People
- Recognized as a “Winning W” company by 2020 Women on Boards for having women comprise at least 20-percent of our Board of Directors in 2019;
- Employees contributed over 5,500 hours volunteering with community organisations;
- Launched new a corporate human rights policy in May 2020.
Safe Workplaces
- Implemented the HarscoCares COVID-19 Global Principles at all facilities to ensure the health and safety of our people around the world through the COVID-19 crisis;
- Achieved a total recordable incident rate in 2019 of 0.8;
- Increased number of ISO 18001/45001 certified sites by 14 per cent.
Thriving Environment
- Saved over 5 million tonnes of carbon emissions through Harsco’s Environmental’s recycling and repurposing solutions;
- Rolled out a fleet management strategy in Harsco Environmental North America, resulting in a 10 per cent reduction of diesel fuel consumption and emissions;
- Recycled or repurposed 18.6 million tonnes of material in 2019, up from 13 million the previous year;
- Increased number of ISO 14001 certified sites by 39 per cent.
Be the first to comment