Photo Credit: Business Wire – U. S. Steel’s Big River Steel Plant
United States Steel Corporation (NYSE: X), an SFIA member with operations across the United States and in Central Europe, announced that its Big River Steel mill in Osceola, Arkansas, has achieved the first-ever ResponsibleSteel™ site certification in North America.
“We are thrilled to be the first steel company in North America to achieve ResponsibleSteel certification for our Big River Steel site,” says David B. Burritt, U.S. Steel President & CEO.
Big River Steel received the site certification after SRI Quality System Registrar conducted an independent third-party audit and determined the mill met the requirements of the ResponsibleSteel Standard, the industry’s only global multi-stakeholder standard and certification initiative. The audit consisted of gathering comprehensive materials, onsite visits and worker and stakeholder interviews.
What is ResponsibleSteel?ResponsibleSteel is an international, non-profit multi-stakeholder membership organization. Its mission is to enhance the responsible sourcing, production, use and recycling of steel.
ResponsibleSteel:
- Is a multi-stakeholder forum to build trust and achieve consensus
- Develops standards, certification and related tools
- Drives positive change through the recognition and use of responsible steel
The ResponsibleSteel Standard is based on 12 principles and covers a wide range of topics, such as:
- Health and safety
- Greenhouse gas emissions
- Water stewardship and biodiversity
- Human rights
- Labor rights and community relations
Big River Steel Sets Gold Standard
A U.S. Steel news release says customers of Big River Steel want rigorous standards that could be independently verified. Having such standards would help customers to achieve their own sustainability goals, and ResponsibleSteel provides the common platform for all assets of the steel value chain.
“This marks an important milestone on our journey to build a more sustainable future for our customers, company, colleagues, communities and the planet,” Burritt says.
Alison Lucas, acting CEO of ResponsibleSteel, adds “The certification of a site demonstrates the commitment of a steelmaker to building a more responsible steel sector. It stresses the importance of not only taking steps towards decarbonization, but also of prioritizing the health and safety of workers and operating with the utmost respect for human rights and labor rights and care for our natural environment.”
About United States Steel Corporation
Founded in 1901, United States Steel Corporation is a leading steel producer that serves the automotive, construction and other industries with high value-added steel products, such as U. S. Steel’s proprietary XG3™ advanced high-strength steel.The company also maintains iron ore production and has an annual raw steelmaking capability of 22.4 million net tons. U. S. Steel is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pa., with operations across the United States and in Central Europe.
Additional Resources
- Steel Industry Pushes Toward Net-Zero Energy Target
- U.S. Steel Breaks Ground on Next-Generation $3 Billion Arkansas Steel Mill
- SFIA Releases Industry Environmental Products Declaration for Cold-Formed Steel Framing