Harsco Releases 2019-2020 Environmental, Social & Governance Report

Harsco Corporation, a global market leader providing environmental solutions for industrial and specialty waste streams, 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. Harsco’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.

The past year has been a period of unprecedented growth and change at Harsco. Adding to the extraordinary global circumstances presented by COVID-19, Harsco is undergoing a complete business transformation into a global, market-leading environmental solutions platform.  Our treatment, recycling and repurposing of industrial waste and by-products help accelerate the circular economy, preserve natural resources and reduce carbon emissions.

“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,” said Harsco Chairman and CEO Nick Grasberger. “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.”

Harsco’s 2019-2020 ESG Report is informed by leading market standards including the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB).  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, Inspired People, Safe Workplaces and Thriving Environment. Goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) for each focus area include:

1. Innovative Solutions: Derive over 90% of Harsco’s annual revenue from environmental products and services.
2. Inspired People: Enhance diversity and gender representation on the board and senior management.
3. Safe Workplaces: Achieve a Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) less than 1.25 in 2020.
4. Thriving Environment: Reduce the energy and carbon intensity of operations by 15-percent by 2025.

Highlights of the report include:

Corporate Governance

1. Increased ESG oversight at the director level by expanding the Governance Committee’s (formerly the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee) review of ESG strategy, initiatives and policies.
2. Kathy Eddy and Carolann Haznedar, two of our Directors, were recognized by WomenInc. Magazine as two of the 2019 Most Influential Corporate Board Directors.
3. Enhanced focus on ESG in the 2020 enterprise risk management process.

Innovative Solutions

1. 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.
2. Launched 22 new environmental solutions across the company.
3. 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.

Thriving Environment

1. Saved over 5 million metric tons of carbon emissions through Harsco’s Environmental’s recycling and repurposing solutions.
2. Rolled out a fleet management strategy in Harsco Environmental North America, resulting in a 10-percent reduction of diesel fuel consumption and emissions.
3. Recycled or repurposed 18.6 million tons of material in 2019, up from 13 million the previous year.
4. Increased number of ISO 14001 certified sites by 39-percent.

Inspired People

1. 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.
2. Employees contributed over 5,500 hours volunteering with community organizations.
3. Launched new a corporate human rights policy in May 2020.

Safe Workplaces

1. 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.
2. Achieved a total recordable incident rate in 2019 of 0.8.
3. Increased number of ISO 18001/45001 certified sites by 14%.

For more information, visit https://www.harsco.com/sustainability.