Sidenor Corporate Report 2019

37 We apply the principle of continuous improvement to raw materials so as to use them in a responsible way. In the first place, our Purchase Department lists a series of good practices aiming at ensuring the quality of supplies, including the requirement of a specific certificate, where necessary and depending on the sector. In any case, we regularly check compliance with these requirements by means of a laboratory analysis of the purchased raw materials’ chemical composition. At the same time, we rely on a specific procedure to ensure the quality of the purchased scrap, which consists in sorting the material according to its origin and composition, among many other criteria. We also verify that the materials we purchase, whether supplies or scrap, are free of radioactivity. This modus operandi aims at: • Detecting possible frauds in the supply of raw materials. • Ensuring the quality of the products we manufacture. • Reducing the use of resources to manufacture our products, both in terms of raw materials consumption and energy used to transform them. • Minimising the generation of waste and/or co- products associated with our processes, reducing the impact on surroundings and environment. • Avoiding radioactive contamination resulting from the fusion of contaminated raw materials and/or radioactive sources hidden in the scrap. We take care of raw materials We have obtained the “Silver” rating by EcoVadis In 2020, we have been awarded the “Silver” rating by EcoVadis, a global supply chain sustainability assessment platform, thus highlighting our continuous commitment to sustainability and respect for the environment.