FULL DISCLOSURE Fact Sheet

This fact sheet by the Centre for Environmental Rights details the environmental track record of ArcelorMittal South Africa Ltd (AMSA), specifically focusing on its Vanderbijlpark Works. It outlines systemic non-compliance with air and water quality laws, significant land contamination, and a lack of transparency regarding climate change risks and greenhouse gas emissions.

• ArcelorMittal South Africa Ltd (AMSA) is one of the top 10 greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters in South Africa, producing 14.84 million tonnes of CO2 annually. This volume exceeds the total annual CO2 emissions from electricity used in Cape Town, which was 13.38 million tonnes in 2012. While its parent company in Luxembourg supports the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), AMSA does not subscribe to the TCFD and opposes the introduction of a carbon tax in South Africa.
• The Vanderbijlpark Works facility has a history of air pollution violations and legal challenges. A 2016 Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) inspection led to criminal prosecution for non-compliance with air emission licence conditions. In 2018, SO2 emissions grew by approximately 24% in absolute terms, and the sinter main stack remained sporadically non-compliant. In February 2019, AMSA requested a postponement of compliance with minimum emission standards.
• AMSA's Vanderbijlpark facility has caused significant land and water contamination. Reports revealed the presence of tar and tar remnants in groundwater, including a coal tar pool approximately 3m thick. In November 2018, the DEA issued a statutory remediation order for AMSA to treat this pollution. Additionally, while AMSA claimed full Zero Effluent Discharge (ZED) compliance in late 2018, local meeting minutes suggest the plant was not 'zero effluent' for most of the period between 2014 and 2018.
• AMSA has historically resisted disclosing environmental information. In 2014, the Vaal Environmental Justice Alliance (VEJA) successfully sued AMSA in the Supreme Court of Appeal to force the release of its Environmental Master Plan. This document contained specialist environmental tests and a 20-year rehabilitation strategy, revealing extensive historic pollution.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2019). FULL DISCLOSURE Fact Sheet. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/AMSA-Full-Disclosure-5-web-1.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. FULL DISCLOSURE Fact Sheet. 2019. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/AMSA-Full-Disclosure-5-web-1.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=FULL DISCLOSURE Fact Sheet |date=May 2019 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/AMSA-Full-Disclosure-5-web-1.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centreforenvironmentalrights2019full, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{FULL DISCLOSURE Fact Sheet}}, institution = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2019}, month = may, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/AMSA-Full-Disclosure-5-web-1.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }