SUSTAINABILITY

SETTING NEW STANDARDS
RESPONSIBLESTEEL™

U. S. Steel sets new gold standard for North America steel by achieving Big River Steel site certification from ResponsibleSteel™.

ResponsibleSteel™ is the industry’s first global multi-stakeholder standard and certification initiative. U. S. Steel is proud to be the first North America steel producer to join ResponsibleSteel and the first steel producer in North America to receive ResponsibleSteel’s site certification for our Big River Steel facility.

As an innovative steel producer, Big River Steel is setting a new gold standard for North America. Customers want rigorous standards that have been independently verified to help them achieve their own sustainability goals, and ResponsibleSteel provides the common platform for producers and buyers to meet those targets.

ResponsibleSteel site certification requires each site to meet the 12 principles that make up the ResponsibleSteel Standard and cover the pillars of Environmental, Social and Governance standards. An independent third-party assessor must audit processes against rigorous standards, and ResponsibleSteel’s independent Assurance Panel must approve of the findings, before ResponsibleSteel awards certification.

As responsible steel production techniques and high ethical standards increase in importance to stakeholders, this certification under ResponsibleSteel demonstrates a commitment to keep raising the bar on providing high grades of steel more sustainably.
grid-img
Downloadable audit report

RESPONSIBLESTEEL PRINCIPLES™

There are 12 principles in the ResponsibleSteel Standard
that cover a wide range of topics such as health and
safety, greenhouse gas emissions, water stewardship and
biodiversity, human rights:

PRINCIPLE 1

Corporate Leadership

ResponsibleSteel certified sites are led
responsibly.

PRINCIPLE 2

Social, Environmental and
Governance Management Systems

ResponsibleSteel certified sites have an effective
management system in place to achieve the
social, environmental and governance objectives
to which they are committed.

PRINCIPLE 3

Occupational Health and Safety

ResponsibleSteel certified sites protect the health
and safety of workers.

PRINCIPLE 4

Labor Rights

ResponsibleSteel certified sites respect the rights
of workers and support worker well-being.

PRINCIPLE 5

Human Rights

ResponsibleSteel certified sites respect human
rights wherever they operate, irrespective of their
size or structure.

PRINCIPLE 6

Stakeholder Engagement and
Communication

ResponsibleSteel certified sites engage
effectively with stakeholders, report openly
on issues of importance to stakeholders, and
remediate adverse impacts they have caused
or contributed to.

PRINCIPLE 7

Local Communities

ResponsibleSteel certified sites respect the rights
and interests of local communities, avoid and
minimize adverse impact and support community
well-being.

PRINCIPLE 8

Climate Change and Greenhouse
Gas Emissions

The corporate owners of ResponsibleSteel
certified sites are committed to the global goals
of the Paris Agreement, and both certified sites
and their corporate owners are taking the actions
needed to demonstrate this commitment.

PRINCIPLE 9

Noise, Emissions, Effluents and Waste

ResponsibleSteel certified sites prevent and
reduce emissions and effluents that have adverse
effects on communities or the environment,
manage waste according to the waste
management hierarchy and take account of the full
life cycle impacts of waste management options.

PRINCIPLE 10

Water Stewardship

ResponsibleSteel certified sites demonstrate
good water stewardship.

PRINCIPLE 11

Biodiversity

ResponsibleSteel certified sites protect and
conserve biodiversity.

PRINCIPLE 12

Decommissioning and Closure

ResponsibleSteel certified sites minimize the
adverse social, economic and environmental
impacts of full or partial site decommissioning
and closure.