Tin is needed to protect packaging steel from corrosion and is therefore a necessary raw material to ensure the high quality of products such as the food can. The tin coating on packaging steel is extremely low; it usually ranges between 1.0 g/m² and 11.2 g/m². We ensure the sustainability of our supply chain – and not only since today – to ascertain that the required quality is not achieved at the expense of humans and the environment. We have not sourced tin from conflict regions for more than a decade now. Human rights, fair working conditions, environmental protection and the fight against corruption – all these values are not only important within our group, but they also apply to our supply chain. At thyssenkrupp, we are therefore committed to the United Nations Global Compact. Our company has had procedures in place for years that allow us to audit supply chains and to identify risks. Our supply chains are transparent and subject to regular audits, so that we fully comply with statutory provisions.
In addition, thyssenkrupp Rasselstein GmbH has been complying with the regulations of the United States of America, usually referred to as the Dodd-Frank Act1 , since 2010, although we are not subject to SEC supervision and have no legal obligation to comply with these requirements on conflict minerals.
In countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and neighboring states, the mining of certain raw materials is sometimes fueling significant human rights violations and the financing of violent conflicts in the region. We therefore do not purchase any raw materials that directly or indirectly finance or benefit armed groups. We are in close contact with our suppliers at all times to increase transparency regarding the supply of their products. We will continue to expand our collaboration with customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders to ensure even better approaches and more feasible solutions in the future. Usually, we check the conditions on site or we commission third parties to regularly monitor the situation at our suppliers.
thyssenkrupp Rasselstein audits its European supply of recycled tinn
For about five years, the company has been relying in part on secondary tin to meet its tin requirements. This is recycled material that is in no way inferior in quality to directly mined tin and meets the highest standards. For its production, tin is recovered both from Rasselstein’s production processes and from customers’ production scrap and returned to the material cycle. To this end, the company – with the support of its subsidiary DWR (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Weißblechrecycling) – works closely with Nederlandse Onttinningsfabriek – Europe’s largest tin-detinning facility for tinplate – and Aurubis Beerse, one of the world’s largest producers of secondary pure tin with a purity of up to 99.99 percent.
To demonstrate that tin recycling meets all legal and environmental requirements and that the tin cycle is closed, thyssenkrupp Rasselstein, Nederlandse Onttinningsfabriek, and Aurubis Beerse have decided to have the process chain certified by an independent third party. “The third-party audit conducted by DEKRA confirmed that the tin recovery processes at both companies are technically mature, environmentally sound, and economically viable,” said Dr. Peter Kirchesch, Head of Sustainability, Public Affairs, and Communications at thyssenkrupp Rasselstein. “The defined recycling targets have been met, as has full integration into day-to-day operations; environmental aspects are comprehensively addressed.”
The audit confirmed that thyssenkrupp Rasselstein also sources secondary tin from the recycling of tinplate scrap through the audited supply chain and uses it in its production processes.
For further information, please refer to our Annual Report 2025 – Activities to implement the due diligence obligations for the import of tin according to Regulation (EU) 2017/821.
1 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, Section 1502
