Diversity

Social Sustainability: Equal Opportunities

The steel industry of today has changed greatly from the days when workshop operations necessitated muscular strength and recruitment was limited to men. As a result, we now have more women in the workforce, including some leading our key production units. Because Aperam sees value in a diverse workforce, we are keen to attract the very best talent, regardless of age, gender, national origin or disabilities and integrate everyone into the Aperam family.

"At Aperam, it's essential we look beyond mere awareness. Fighting harassment, tackling discrimination, and speaking up against any form of violation of human rights is not just the job of HR, Legal, or Compliance : it is everyone’s shared responsibility."

Attracting More Women

Since 2018, we have implemented a program inspired by the United Nations’ Women Empowerment Principles. Through this action plan, we aim to:

  • Ensure that our female employees are treated fairly, with an emphasis on fighting stereotypes and taking specific, female-focused measures regarding ergonomics, work environment, career development, etc.
  • Increase the number of women working at Aperam by recruiting women at all levels of the company, from the traditionally male-dominated shop floor up to the management level.

As a direct result of this initiative, we have already seen a very tangible increase in the number of women working at Aperam – accounting for 16.2% of our employees (2023). At the end of 2024, women represented 17.2% (versus 16.2% in 2023) of Aperam’s workforce. Although there’s room for improvement, we are moving in the right direction. 

Welcoming People with Disabilities

In 2022, Aperam decided to expand its diversity program to include all kinds of diversity – including people with disabilities. As a result, several of our sites have undertaken special programs to promote inclusiveness, diversity and equal opportunities and to ensure that everybody is recognised for what they bring to the company.


For instance, our Timoteo unit in Brazil launched a specific process for recruiting people with disabilities. This hiring process was combined with a range of actions aimed at increasing awareness among our employees about the benefits of inclusiveness and the many different ways everyone can contribute to Aperam’s success. To ensure a smooth onboarding process, specific care was taken to ensure teams were fully prepared to include people with disabilities and to help walk them through our routines and procedures.

Mixing Languages and Cultures

Because of our global composition, diversity at Aperam is often defined by language and culture. We have four main official languages: English, Dutch, French and Portuguese, and all corporate communications are dispatched in multiple language versions. In fact, many of our official communications, such as our Health & Safety campaigns, our Compliance posters and, our Anti-Corruption campaign, are translated in up to 10 languages! In addition, site management are encouraged to use the local language of the workers, thus ensuring that proximity is not an empty word.  

CORPORATE DOCUMENTATION PAGE

HUMAN RIGHTS POLICY (EN)

2024 - At a glance

  • 414 women in Aperam France

  • 16.6% (staff), 29% (exempts)

Professional Equality Index
Index Egalité Professionnelle – France
Under French law, some companies have the obligation to publish the result of their “professional equality index” which is a score out of 100 reflecting several criteria.
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