Steel Mills
ResponsibleSteel—A New Standard for the Steel Value Chain
Written by Sandy Williams
June 24, 2019
ArcelorMittal is taking the lead on a new steel industry certification standard called ResponsibleSteel, which will set a single, global standard for the “mine to metal” steel value chain. The standard will enable steel producers to prove their production processes and products meet rigorously defined standards across a broad range of social, environmental and ethical criteria. It will also serve to improve responsible sourcing of raw materials used in steelmaking and reduce supply-chain risk, the company claims.
The objective for ResponsibleSteel is to “support the responsible sourcing and production of steel as a tool for the achievement of ResponsibleSteel’s vision: to maximize steel’s contribution to a sustainable society.”
Draft 4 of the ResponsibleSteel standards and certification was approved at a member meeting last week. Formal approval and ratification is expected by the end of the year.
“I am encouraged both by the progress we have made in developing the ResponsibleSteel standard and the broad-based interest in the scheme,” said Alan Knight, head of sustainable development at ArcelorMittal and co-chair of ResponsibleSteel. “For a scheme like this to truly gain market acceptance we need involvement, collaboration and input from multiple stakeholder groups. Steel industry participants clearly have an important role to play in its development, but an accreditation scheme created solely by the steel industry and for the steel industry would lack credibility. The multi-stakeholder aspect is critical, so the support and membership signup we have received from mining majors, financial institutions, steel consuming customers and NGOs brings that credibility.”
The standards were developed through a series of measures including stakeholder meetings, public comments, focus groups and field tests. Version 3 of the standard received over 600 responses in the public commentary period, which were used to refine Version 4, said Knight.
The standards are based on 12 key principles, which are described in detail in the draft:
- Corporate leadership
- Social, environmental and governance management systems
- Occupational and community health and safety
- Labor rights
- Human rights
- Rights and interests of local communities
- Stakeholder engagement and communication
- Climate change and greenhouse gas emissions
- Noise, emissions, effluents and waste management
- Water stewardship
- Biodiversity management
- Decommissioning and closure of facilities
ResponsibleSteel was established as a not-for-profit organization in 2015 by The Australian Steel Stewardship Forum and founding members ArcelorMittal and BlueScope Steel. As an international, multi-stakeholder membership organization, members include businesses from every part of the steel supply chain. The organization currently has 19 full members and 18 associate members. Members include steel producers Aperam, ArcelorMittal, BlueScope Steel, Vama and voestalpine, as well as automotive companies, industrial and environmental organizations, and financial and academic institutions.
Sandy Williams
Read more from Sandy WilliamsLatest in Steel Mills
USW seeks clarity on plans for Granite City Works
The United Steelworkers union has asked U.S. Steel to elaborate on its Granite City Works plans following reports that the steelmaker is ending processing at the facility.
Nucor maintains plate prices, opens October order book
Nucor aims to keep plate prices flat for a seventh straight month with the opening of its October order book.
ArcelorMittal Mexico to import from sister mills as it works to resume DRI production
ArcelorMittal has partially restarted operations at its direct reduction plant in Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacan. An explosion on Aug. 18 rocked the massive steelworks on Mexico’s Pacific coast, impacting production of direct-reduced iron (DRI).
Fall maintenance outages are coming in hot
Labor Day has passed, the sun is starting to set a little earlier each day, and cooler weather has begun to find its way down to many of us across North America. And you know what that means for the steel industry… Fall maintenance outages!
AISI: Domestic steel production ticks up
US raw steel production ticked up in the week ending on Sept. 6 after a decrease the week before, according to the most recent data from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).