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Sustainability

GrafTech Sustainability Report

SustainabilityMessage from the CEO

Dear valued stakeholders,

I am pleased to present GrafTech’s 2021 Sustainability Report. As we continue to progress through our sustainability journey, we are excited to share our environmental, social, and governance ("ESG") performance, accomplishments, and contributions towards the decarbonization of steel.

For more than 100 years, GrafTech has been manufacturing graphite electrode products that are essential to the production of electric arc furnace ("EAF") steel. EAF steel production is a critical part of the circular economy – producing a product that can be continually recycled and is generated almost entirely from recycled scrap metal. EAF steelmaking is more environmentally friendly than blast furnace steelmaking, generating significantly less carbon dioxide emissions compared to a blast furnace facility.

GrafTech’s success is only possible with the hard work of our global team and their commitment in upholding our core values of Safety, Environment, and Quality, what we internally refer to as “SEQ.” These values focus our attention on a core mission for GrafTech: providing a safe work environment for all employees, environmental stewardship, and delivering superior product quality.

We are committed to health and safety excellence and promoting the well-being of our people. We continuously strive to improve our safety performance by focusing on programs and initiatives that hold all employees—from executives to the plant floor—accountable for keeping everyone safe, every day. I am very proud of the dedication of our team as we work to reach our ultimate goal of every employee going home safely every day.

Overall, we are proud of the progress we made across the organization towards our ESG initiatives in 2021. In addition to our safety initiatives, we undertook activities as varied as our community involvement and outreach efforts at several of our sites, our use of captured heat to reduce our fuel consumption, and our emission reduction efforts that include capital investments and advanced engineering technology on the equipment at our sites. Using these projects as a roadmap, we are fully committed to advancing these efforts across our global organization.

We are utilizing the materiality assessment we completed in 2021 to help us build the foundation and strategy of our future sustainability work. A key component of our strategy is to drive sustainability performance and increase transparency on ESG issues.

As always, I welcome your questions and comments on our sustainability efforts and look forward to engaging with you on these topics as we move forward.

Sincerely,
Marcel Kessler, Chief Executive Officer

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2021 Sustainability Report

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Sustainability Values & Culture

At GrafTech, we aim to do the right thing every time. We value health and safety excellence, environmental performance, and our most important asset – our people. As a company, we are committed to unyielding integrity and to ensuring the success of future generations of employees, customers, stockholders, and communities.

To learn more about values and culture, please read our 2021 Sustainability Report.

Safety, Environment and Quality

Sustainability Business Ethics & Corporate Governance

At GrafTech, we understand that ethical conduct and business success are inseparable, and no business objective can be achieved without following this fundamental principle. Our Code of Conduct and Ethics supports this foundational tenet and informs thoughtful decision-making. As outlined in the Code, GrafTech commits to fostering a healthy, safe, and secure work environment for all our employees by providing equal employment opportunities and a harassment-free workplace, and by respecting human rights and diversity.

For more information on our business ethics and governance practices, please read our 2021 Sustainability Report.

Governance

GrafTech’s policies and practices guiding business integrity.

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Sustainability Approach to Sustainability

Sustainability is fundamental to our business strategy and culture. Our ESG Steering Committee is responsible for defining our ESG mission and developing, implementing and overseeing the company-wide ESG strategy. Our ESG working group is comprised of cross-functional subject matter experts and includes representatives from our environmental, health and safety, legal, finance, investor relations, communications, engineering, procurement, and HR groups. The working group is responsible for developing and implementing programs and initiatives that support our ESG strategy.

To learn more about our approach to sustainability, please read our 2021 Sustainability Report.

Sustainability Environment

As a global manufacturer, we recognize that our graphite electrode manufacturing processes have an impact on the surrounding environment. GrafTech’s efforts and focus on energy conservation, waste recycling, and water management demonstrate our continued commitment to reducing our environmental footprint.

The GrafTech Environmental Policy describes how our organization is committed to minimizing our impact on the environment and the activities we pursue to meet that commitment. To learn more, please read our Environmental Policy.

Sustainability Products & Customers

At GrafTech, we strive to deliver our customers the highest performing electrodes and best-in-class technical service. Our product designs help our customers increase productivity, reduce costs, and support sustainability goals. As the EAF steel market grows, we look to innovate and expand our business – while continuing to set ourselves apart from our competitors by delivering superior products and services.

Graphite Electrode Products End of Life Considerations:  GrafTech International’s graphite electrode products are typically fully consumed in the normal EAF operation, and related industrial equipment, for which they are designed.  Under normal operating conditions, no further procedures are required for end of product life considerations. 

To learn more, please read our Graphite Electrode Products End of Life Statement.

Sustainability Society

As a global manufacturer and local employer, we understand our operations have a significant societal impact. We strive to be good corporate citizens, protect the local environment, and positively support the communities in which we operate.

To read more about our community engagement, please read our 2021 Sustainability Report.

Where We Operate

Explore our global footprint

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Sustainability Workforce

Our employees are our most valuable asset, and we do everything we can to make sure they feel safe, accepted, and valued in their workplace. Not only is it our responsibility to take care of our employees, but our employees share the commitment to maintain a safe and healthy work environment for each other. We care for our workforce by fostering their career development through learning opportunities and skills training. As GrafTech continues to attract a global and diverse talent base, we seek candidates who share our core values, particularly from the local communities in which we operate.

To read more about health and safety, workforce management, talent, and workforce diversity, please read our 2021 Sustainability Report.

Employees

GrafTech is a high-tech place to grow.

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