“Grading Their Own Exam: ArcelorMittal’s ESG Council Is a Mirror, not a Measure”



ArcelorMittal Liberia has staged a masterclass in corporate deflection. Their recent Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Council review meeting was not a step toward accountability—it was a performance crafted for optics. The question isn’t whether ESG standards are being met, but whether meaningful standards even exist in Liberia. When a company facing lawsuits, survivor-led petitions, and documented human rights abuses hosts its own review, the public must ask: who is this for, and what is being reviewed?

The composition of ArcelorMittal’s ESG Council reveals the flaw at its core. Staffed primarily by internal employees, the council functions as a mechanism of self-certification. This is not oversight—it’s a closed loop of corporate affirmation. It’s grading your own exam and calling it transparency. Without independent voices, survivor testimony, or third-party audits, the council becomes an echo chamber that protects reputation rather than people.

ESG must be more than a branding exercise—it must be a tool for justice and accountability. In Liberia, where regulatory infrastructure is thin and corporate influence runs deep, ESG enforcement cannot be left to the very entities accused of harm. ArcelorMittal’s internal review process lacks legitimacy because it excludes those most affected. Until survivors are centered and external scrutiny is institutionalized, ESG remains a hollow acronym.

Liberia does not need an ArcelorMittal ESG Group of Employees. It needs an Independent ESG Enforcement Body anchored in law, community representation, and global standards. One that listens to victims, audits truthfully, and holds power accountable. Anything less is not governance but mere coverup performance. 

It is time for ESG regulators to intervene and revise the scheme ArcelorMittal has constructed in Liberia. A council composed primarily of internal employees cannot serve as a mechanism of accountability. It is a structure built for self-preservation. When oversight becomes performance, and transparency is reduced to internal affirmation, ESG loses its meaning.

 

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