Participating Groups

CEE Bankwatch Network
 
As part of its work to prevent the harmful environmental and social impacts of international development finance, CEE Bankwatch Network is supporting local groups in former Eastern Bloc countries where ArcelorMittal has received low-interest public loans. Bankwatch is also calling on the International Financial Institutions to call a halt to lending to ArcelorMittal, which lacks neither resources of its own nor opportunities for credit from commercial banks, and has not shown a sufficient degree of environmental performance improvement as a result of the loans.

 
Bosnia Herzegovina
 
Neighbors of the ArcelorMittal steel mill in Zenica have come together to form a campaign against ArcelorMittal's pollution called e-DOZE.  They have also formed a blog to share pictures and complaints of the mill's pollution.  ArcelorMittal is currently operating its Zenica steel mill without environmental permits.  It owns and operates iron ore mines in Bosnia Herzegovina as well.

 
Czech Republic
 
ArcelorMittal Ostrava is the largest integrated steel producer in the Czech Republic, producing more than 3 million tonnes of crude steel a year. It is situated in North Moravia in the city of Ostrava, which has a population of over 300,000 people and is the third largest city in the Czech Republic. For a long time now, ArcelorMittal Ostrava has been one of the country’s largest polluters causing serious health threath to citizens living nearby its facilities.  After ArcelorMittal (previously Mitttal steel) acquired the steelmill in 2002, steel production doubled with no significant improvements to reduce air pollution.  Thousands of inhabitants living in the urban neighbourhoods around the steel mill continue to be directly exposed to an enormous volume of deteriorative combustion products coming from the factory.  The lawyers of GARDE-EPS have submitted more than 40 legal actions against the company and responsible authorities, including two civil law suits. 

 
Kazakhstan
 
In 1995 ArcelorMittal, then Ispat, bought the Temirtau steel plant, along with its eight coal mines, iron ore and power plant, from the government of Kazkhstan.  ArcelorMittal Temirtau is the main source of air pollution in Temirtau and one of the main polluters in the Karaganda region.  The Karaganda Ecological Museum, working with CEE Bankwatch, has been active in raising the public profile on problems occurring at the ArcelorMittal steel mill and coal mines in Temirtau.

 
Luxembourg
 
Southern Luxembourg is home to three ArcelorMittal plants in Schifflange, Esch-sur-Alzette and Differdange.  The plants are thus situated within very close proximity to one another, directly exposing approximately 55,000 people to pollutants.

 
South Africa
 
GroundWork South Africa is working to get ArcelorMittal to clean up its steel mill in Vanderbijlpark.  Formerly ISCOR (Iron and Steel Corporation), owner Lakshmi Mittal was just about paid to take it over the facility where his company took a majority shareholding in 2004.  So far, the costs of pollution from the mill have been externalised onto the surrounding communities where Mittal has succeeded in avoiding any liability for the pollution that made this acquisition so cheap, and has also avoided rehabilitation of the polluted area.

 
Ukraine
 
National Ecological Centre of Ukraine has been working on a campaign on Arcelor Mittal Kriviy Rih (AMKR) since 2006. AMKR is a major polluter in the city of Kryviy Rih. In 2006 the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development issued a $ 200 mln. loan to  AMKR for improvemt of the environmental and safety performance of the steel plant and mine operations. NECU works with AMKR Trade Union, local organizations and management of the plant trying to ensure public participation in regards to environment and health and safety. We monitor the implementation of the Environmental and Social Action Plan that has been adopted by AMKR due to the loan agreement with EBRD.

 
United States
 
Ohio Citizen Action has been working on a good neighbor campaign to get ArcelorMittal to invest in pollution prevention at its Cleveland, Ohio mill.  The facility, located in downtown Cleveland, is surrounded by more neighbors than any other steel mill in the United States: 390,000 men, women, and children, along with half of Cleveland's public schools are within five miles of the plant.