In its first formal responsibility report, ArcelorMittal, the steel giant formed two years ago through the merger of Arcelor and Mittal Steel, provides a frank assessment of the current state of its corporate responsibility strategy, measurement and assurance.

The report’s disciplined (though unexciting) tone reflects ArcelorMittal’s methodical approach to building an integrated corporate responsibility foundation that is embedded throughout the company’s global operations. After slogging through nearly 20 pages of extensive process detail – business case, management structure, oversight and so on – it seems that ArcelorMittal takes sustainability seriously, and is determined to get it right the first time out.

To its credit, ArcelorMittal highlights stakeholder outreach efforts as instrumental in helping to fix the direction of its corporate responsibility efforts. The company takes part in activities ranging from facility-level community discussions to the production and broad dissemination of ArcelorMittal web TV episodes on topics such as health and safety. ArcelorMittal’s outreach encompasses direct communication with investors, both mainstream and socially oriented. The company even intends to put on a socially responsible investment-targeted roadshow, an activity most firms currently do not contemplate, much less undertake.

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