Building trust through dialogue

We can only succeed in transitioning and securing our position in the Netherlands and Europe when there is a healthy balance between the interests of people, the environment, the community and our company. TSN is committed to an active dialogue with its stakeholders. We listen to their concerns and try to address these in order to gain support for our plans to improve our operations and our ambitions as described in the Green Steel Project.

We recognise that regulatory findings and fines for breaches of environmental and compliance requirements have clearly shown that we have not met stakeholders’ expectations. We regret this and take these outcomes seriously. We are therefore working to put both corrective and preventative actions in place. These preventative actions include changes to our Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) operating model, the continued strengthening of our Risk & Compliance framework and improvements to the quality and reliability of our measurement and monitoring systems. In parallel, we are raising expectations around behaviour and accountability to ensure a more consistent and disciplined approach to compliance in day‑to‑day operations. However, steelmaking also is limited by technical solutions and best-in-class techniques. Together, these measures form part of a broader, multi‑year effort to improve the predictability of our performance and secure sustainable compliance. Further detail on the scope, governance and progress of this work is set out in the Licence to Operate and Risk & Compliance sections of this report.

We continue to engage with stakeholders through transparent governance and structured decision-making, aiming to earn and maintain the trust of regulators and authorities, local communities, employees, customers and other stakeholders. Through continuous dialogue and an annual Double Materiality Assessment (DMA), we identify material sustainability impacts, risks and opportunities. Stakeholder insights are considered as part of this assessment and inform decision-making processes. Further details on stakeholder engagement outcomes and their linkage to material topics are provided in the Sustainability Statements. 

During all stages of the development of the Green Steel Project, stakeholders are invited and actively engaged to express their opinions and give feedback. This stakeholder dialogue takes place in a variety of ways, including formal and informal meetings, participation meetings, focus groups, live online sessions, interviews, surveys and desktop research. We assess the information we collect from these stakeholder dialogues to determine the impact and importance of a range of topics.

We regularly organise site visits for anyone who is interested. Last year, some 13,000 people, including local residents, customers, suppliers, employees and family members, politicians, media representatives and many others were given a tour hosted by our IJmuiden Visits team.

Over the past year, we intensified our contacts with local residents. We engage with these residents, as well as local and national authorities, experts and other organisations, to ensure that we are focusing on the right areas to minimise the negative impact of our operations on the community in which we operate.

Partnerships and events

In 2025, together with a select number of partners, we joined Port of Energy, a regional collaboration platform for companies, governments and knowledge institutions in the North Sea Canal Area. Port of Energy aims to contribute to a cleaner, greener and more circular future for industry in the region by bringing stakeholders together around concrete initiatives.

Alongside company‑wide partnerships and flagship events, TSN’s commercial teams engaged with customers and industry stakeholders through a range of events and conferences across Europe and beyond. A highlight was the multi‑stakeholder programme during SAIL 2025 in Amsterdam, which supported dialogue on the company’s strategy, sustainability ambitions and the role of steel in Europe’s industrial and energy transition.

TSN also organises the world-famous Tata Steel Chess Tournament for professional and amateur chess players. In early 2026, the 88th edition of the tournament took place, welcoming more than 15,000 visitors in person and reaching over 1,000,000 viewers online over two weeks.

Community engagement

To engage with the community on environmental matters, we organise regular community meetings, resident panels, site tours and information sessions. We keep in touch through a community newsletter and have participation processes in place. Our walk-in service desk and complaints channels ensure accessibility.

Grievance mechanism

Residents experiencing nuisance from our operations in IJmuiden can report issues to us through multiple channels, including at our information office in Wijk aan Zee, by phone or by using the complaint form on our website. We investigate complaints and aim to trace the source of the disturbance promptly and accurately, taking necessary measures as quickly as possible. We use data measurements as well as complaints to improve processes wherever feasible. In 2025, TSN’s grievance system was assessed by SHIFT, an international non-profit organisation, and actions to improve the system will follow in 2026.

Understanding our stakeholders

To understand our stakeholders and respond to their concerns, we interact with them on a regular basis, monitoring and analysing their perceptions of our company. Our cross-functional Stakeholder Management Committee discusses the outcomes of these analyses and defines corrective actions as and where needed. An overview of TSN’s stakeholders, the existing engagement channels, and the outcomes of this engagement is presented in the table below.