Water
Water resources
Water management is a top strategic priority for the Company. To minimize water withdrawal, the group’s units invest in:
- sewage-treatment projects so that effluents can be industrially reused;
- rain-water impoundment for machine and equipment cooling;
- campaigns on the rational use of water for its employees and service providers.

One example of this commitment is the high rate of freshwater recirculation presented by ArcelorMittal Brasil : which, in 2013, peaked at 98.28%
The strategy to reach that goal involves maximizing the use and internal recirculation of water.
Collected / Recycled water | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Total volume of water collected per source (m3) | ||||
Municipal water supply or other fresh-water supplying companies | 22,054,927 | 22,239,960 | 21,420,278 | 21,629,576 |
Effluents from other organization | N/D | N/D | 0 | 0 |
Underground water | 854,798 | 940,000 | 82,004 | 76,077 |
Surface water including wet areas, rivers, lakes and oceans | 417,832,315 | 425,986,000 | 369,825,310 | 377,663,704 |
Rain water directly collected and stored by the reporting organization | 73 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Volume of water recycled/reused based on the water-demand volume supplied with recycled/reused water, as opposed to additional withdrawals | ||||
Effluents recycled back to the same process or bigger use of water recycled in the process cycle (m3) | 839,759,442 | 1,333,491,697 | 1,185,341,135 | 873,685,556 |
Percentage of water recycled/reused over the total water withdrawal volume (%) | 98.07 | 98.19 | 93.78 | 98.28 |
Effluents reused in other installations of the reporting organization (m3) | 10,156 | 14,558 | 19,492 | 19,407 |
Effluents recycled/reused in a different process, however inside the same installation (m3) | N/D | N/D | 11,874 | 4,813 |
Evolution of water consumption (in million m3)
442,6
2009
419,9
2010
428,1
2011
391,3
2012
399,3
2013
ArcelorMittal Brasil’s manufacturing processes do not affect significantly any water source. Notably, licenses are granted based on the capacity of the water bodies (surface or underground).