Yesterday, the Environmental Excellence Awards for 2025 took place. The aim of this program is to reward individuals or teams for projects that have made a significant contribution to improving the environment in the previous year.

The meeting was opened  by David Hathaway, Vice President of Engineering and Innovation. Right at the beginning, he said that the results in the field of ecology were very good at U. S. Steel Košice last year. The Environmental Excellence Award was won by the teams that nominated 6 projects, of which two were selected for the award.

The first awarded project was implemented by a team consisting of: Dušan Ivanišin, Michal Výrostko, Igor Bukata and Martin Píro. This project is from the environment of the agglomeration.

"When sintering the agglomeration mixture on the sintering belt, various pollutants are produced. In this project, we solved the problem with dioxins and furans. Especially by changing the composition of the fuel, but also by closely monitoring the individual raw materials added to the agglomeration charge, we achieved the desired results. The settings of the conditions in the fabric filters have also undergone changes. Logistical timing, preparation of operation, measurement teams, and ensuring trouble-free operation are especially important for this project. The key is to plan well in advance and also the interplay of employees in shifts. I see this award as a thank you to everyone who participated in setting and controlling the operating parameters, which resulted in successful results," said Dušan Ivanišin, Head of the Production Preparation Operation.

The second award-winning project, which was implemented by a group consisting of: Rudolf Proks, Henrich Luzak, Martin Madej and Stanislav Vrlák,  significantly improved air quality. Martin Madej says more about the project: "To improve air quality in the municipality of Veľká Ida, in 2025, as part of the slag management process related to the processing of steel slag, reclamation of sections 12 and 11 was carried out on the so-called slag site. The project consisted of landscaping, building a protective embankment, transporting and leveling the reclaimed soil and then planting trees and shrubs. The aim of the project is to contribute to the improvement of air quality in the municipality of Veľká Ida by eliminating the handling of dusty materials in the area and capturing dust particles through planted trees and shrubs. The reclamation of other sections on the rubble site continues in 2026."

The awards were presented to the team members by Acting President Mike Piekut and Vice President of Strategy Isao Takenami.

Both emphasized that environmental protection, together with safety at work, is one of the most important parameters in our operations and the awarded projects are excellent examples of how continuous improvement can be made in this area.

Photo: Arpád Köteles