Sims Metal Management – Nikunj Raithatha – 2019

Goals 

Sims Metal Management (Sims), one of the world’s leading metal recycling companies enlisted EDF Climate Corps fellow Nikunj Raithatha to create a framework to estimate greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), build a custom carbon footprint calculator and quantity the net positive impact of the company’s operations on society.

Solutions

To determine Sims net positive impact, Raithatha synthesized information from the GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard, conducted interviews with subject matter experts and visited metal recycling facilities to establish organizational and operational control boundaries for their greenhouse gas emissions. He developed a custom calculator to estimate the total emissions from inputs such as: fuel, electricity consumption, shipments of raw materials and products and employee business travel. He quantified the net positive impact of the company’s operations, by comparing the total emissions resulting from recycling scraps into usable steel and those resulting from production of steel from virgin ore.

Potential Impact

Raithatha’s research will be used by Sims in its marketing and communication initiatives to inform investors and the general public about environmentally friendly aspects of their operations. These results will be used to set emission reduction goals in accordance with IPCC and the Science Based Targets Initiative. These projects have the potential to position Sims to become a global leader in sustainability while taking an active role in guiding sustainability regulations and programs in the metal recycling and mining industries.