The Russian steel producer Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works (MMK) has announced that in the first quarter this year it tested its ecological management system, which had been certified for compliance with ISO 14001: 2004, in order to find ways of improving the system and increasing its efficiency.
Accordingly, within the scope of the implementation of its ecological policy, MMK has established certain ecological indices, which in Q1 2010 were fully implemented. In the first quarter of this year, MMK's total emissions to the atmosphere decreased by 5.9 percent as compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, during the period in question, the company's coke output increased by 41.7 percent, its pig iron went up by 40.5 percent, its crude steel output rose by 32 percent and its steel product output increased by 27.5 percent, all compared to Q1 2009.
In Q1 2010, MMK's investments in environmental protection amounted to Ruble 336.6 million (about $10.6 million).