Environmental protection
Systematic environmental protection worldwide
For thyssenkrupp, environmental protection is a must. Our sites around the world utilize state-of-the-art environmental protection technologies. We invest continuously in equipment such as dust filters, wastewater treatment facilities, and oil separators. Our ongoing investment in environmental protection also includes measures at our local sites in the areas of waste management and recycling, air pollution control, noise control, energy, climate, soil and water protection, and nature conservation.
We have summarized this policy in five guiding principles:
- Environmental and climate protection and energy efficiency are important corporate objectives.
- We promote environmentally friendly and energy-efficient products and services.
- Environmental protection, energy efficiency, and the conservation of resources is a task for everyone.
- We comply with legal obligations and other requirements.
- We conduct an open dialogue.
To meet these aims we have installed Groupwide management processes, set out targets, and formulated a global environment and energy policy.
Continuous improvement process
Continuous improvement process

Internal training in environmental protection and energy efficiency
Our approach to continuously improving environmental protection is based on a direct exchange of experience, clear responsibilities, and systematic internal monitoring and control processes. Environmental protection, energy efficiency, and climate protection are viewed as an integrated whole. At regular network meetings, the Group’s environmental protection community exchange notes on best practices, new topics, and management issues. To support them, we provide targeted training programs, such as the training of internal auditors.
Environmental management to ISO 14001
Our environmental, climate and energy management systems are based on the group’s global environmental and energy policy and a corresponding group regulation. This regulation requires all companies with environmentally relevant activities, for example, because they operate plants that are subject to environmental permits, to implement and maintain an environmental management system in accordance with ISO 14001. With aid of certified environmental management systems, we are continuously improving the environmental performance of our sites by fulfilling our ambitious environmental targets. Throughout the lifecycle of our products and processes, we raise efficiency in the use of resources and minimize harmful emissions. We are aware of our ecological and social responsibility. Our binding obligations include both compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and respecting environmentally relevant due diligence obligations.
Activities regarded as environmentally relevant are defined in our group regulation. Since fiscal year 2019 / 2020 all environmentally relevant companies within the meaning of this regulation have had an environmental management system certified in accordance with ISO 14001. In the reporting period around 73% of thyssenkrupp sites – in terms of the total workforce – had an environmental management system that was implemented and certified in accordance with ISO 14001.
Efficient use of water
One of the key resources for our production processes is water. At many of our sites, we have introduced sophisticated water recycling and treatment systems to reduce both water consumption and wastewater contamination. As a result, the majority of our water consumption and wastewater generation is accounted for by once-through cooling at large sites located directly on rivers whose water can be used for cooling without significantly affecting the water temperature. Remaining requirements are obtained from public utilities and our own water wells.
Avoiding, using, and recycling waste
For thyssenkrupp resource efficiency also means using materials effectively, avoiding waste wherever possible, and seeing byproducts and waste materials from the production process as raw materials. Intensive efforts are made around the world to find alternative uses wherever possible for waste that can no longer be used in our own processes.
In resource-intensive steel production, for example, all iron-containing byproducts such as dusts are collected and returned to the process as far as possible. Slags are used as valuable raw materials in the cement industry and road construction.