Gerdau Ameristeel earns international environmental recertification
January 16, 2011

Gerdau Ameristeel's Knoxville plant recently again earned the ISO 14001 certification, an international distinction that recognizes the mill's environmental management system. The plant first pursued and achieved this voluntary certification in 2007.

Gerdau Ameristeel's Knoxville Steel Mill recently achieved ISO 14001 recertification. The voluntary certification, performed by independent auditors, recognizes the mill's environmental management system.

During the ISO certification process, the Gerdau Ameristeel team analyzed plans for emergency preparedness, environmental policy and safety procedures, and opportunities for new environmental programs. The process also included an extensive review by independent auditors who assessed compliance through document review, observation and employee interviews.

"Maintaining this environmental certification is a significant achievement," said Johnny Miller, Gerdau Ameristeel vice president and general manager. "I am grateful to our employees for the many hours of hard work they put in to help us achieve this status."

Upholding rigorous environmental standards is important to the plant. "We place a high priority on being a good member of the Lonsdale community, and protecting the environment is an important part of our commitment to our neighbors. The ISO 14001 certification is a testament to our success in those efforts," said Miller.

Gerdau Ameristeel's commitment to the environment and surrounding community includes installing significant landscaping at the plant to add green areas; constructing buffer zones between the plant and the surrounding residential neighborhood; paving roadways and purchasing a street sweeper to further minimize dust from truck traffic inside the plant; installing an on-site weather station to track wind speed and direction; and donating land for the El Puente community garden, which both beautifies the neighborhood and helps feed families through its crops.

Gerdau Ameristeel is one of the largest steel recyclers in Tennessee, processing over 527,000 tons of steel in 2010. Additionally, the plant recycled over 97 percent of its 76,211 tons of byproducts and waste materials last year.

Gerdau Ameristeel is the second largest mini-mill steel producer in North America, with annual manufacturing capacity of approximately 10 million metric tons of mill finished steel products. Through its vertically integrated network of mini-mills, scrap recycling facilities and downstream operations, Gerdau Ameristeel serves customers throughout the United States and Canada. The Company's products are generally sold to steel service centers, steel fabricators, or directly to original equipment manufacturers for use in a variety of industries, including non-residential, infrastructure, commercial, industrial and residential construction, metal building, manufacturing, automotive, mining, cellular and electrical transmission and equipment manufacturing. Gerdau Ameristeel's majority shareholder is Gerdau S.A.

The Knoxville steel mill has been in this community for 109 years under various names and owners. Gerdau Ameristeel took over operations in 1994.