Company Announcement - In line with its commitment to environmental sustainability, South Africa’s steel-making giant Scaw Metals has sponsored the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa Environment Stewardship Award category. The Environmental Stewardship Award is one of the categories of the upcoming SEIFSA Awards for Excellence, aimed at celebrating excellence in the manufacturing sector in general and the metals and engineering industries in particular.

“We are very mindful of the impact of global warming and the pressing need to conserve finite resources. It is against this backdrop that we have decided to rally behind SEIFSA and sponsor the Environment Stewardship Award category,” said Dudu Ndlovu, Scaw Metals’ Executive Head of Public Affairs and Communications. Ms Ndlovu added that it was of paramount importance that companies which excelled in conducting their operations in a manner that does not harm the environment are recognised and rewarded for their efforts. Ms Ndlovu said that, in line with the Scaw Group’s commitment to environmental sustainability, wherever possible the company reduced its year-on-year energy consumption and water use per tonne of steel produced. In addition, Scaw aims to improve its operations continuously to reduce environmental impacts.

“Most of our operations are ISO 14001 certified.” Ms Ndlovu said Scaw Metals also invested in a number of environmental projects aimed at reducing the impact of its activities. The company’s waste recycling project, that looks at recycling slag generated at the melt shops, had already reduced both the costs and the volume required for waste disposal, in the process alleviating the impact on the environment.  Research and development is in progress to seek alternative uses for some of the other waste streams.

Commenting on the SEIFSA Awards for Excellence, SEIFSA Marketing and Communications Executive Adelia Pimentel said it was about time that the manufacturing sector stood up and showcased its expertise and innovations to the world. “Therefore, I encourage all companies, big and small, to submit their entries before the 24 April deadline,” Ms Pimentel said. The inaugural SEIFSA Awards for Excellence ceremony will take place on 28 May 2015 in Ekurhuleni. The free-to-enter awards are open to all companies and third-party suppliers operating in the metals and engineering sector throughout Southern Africa.  Free-to-enter award forms now on www.seifsaawards.co.za

The Environment Stewardship Award seeks to showcase companies that have implemented cost-saving and impactful greening initiatives.  Companies that have taken a lead in adopting staff and supplier training in their environmental projects while ensuring that their projects are sustainable will be taken into account. “The overall winner in this category will be a company that has successfully implemented sustainable greening initiatives in its day-to-day business operations,” said Ms Pimentel.
In addition to the Environmental Stewardship category, other categories in the SEIFSA Awards for Excellence are: The Most Innovative Company of the Year, which will be awarded to a company which showed the highest level of innovation in research and development or production in 2014. The Health and Safety Award of the Year will be offered to a company with the best legal compliance record in Health and Safety or the lowest Lost-Time Injury Frequency Rate in 2014.

Entries are also invited from companies whose Corporate Social Investment programme/s in 2014 had a major impact on the lives of its beneficiaries. Companies rated the highest in customer service performance in 2014 will receive the Customer Service Award of the Year. The Most Transformed Company of the Year Award will be received by a company that showed the highest transformation level in the composition of its Board of Directors, Executive Management and Managerial Team in 2014. This award category pits companies employing fewer than 100 people against those of similar size, and companies employing more than 100 companies against others of similar size.
This is the Decade of the Artisan, and an award will be made to the company that trained the highest number of artisans in 2014.
“Companies operating in these vital economic sectors are encouraged not only to enter for any one of the categories offered, but also to consider taking up the various marketing opportunities available,” Ms Pimentel concluded.