“This is an extraordinary accomplishment,” said U. S. Steel president and chief executive officer David B. Burritt.

“The rigorous requirements needed for ResponsibleSteel Certified Steel represent a new gold standard for responsible steel manufacturing on a global scale. This certification gives customers and stakeholders confidence that Big River is on the path to near zero and demonstrates that we are using responsible practices across our supply chain. Being the first steel company in the world to achieve ResponsibleSteel Certified Steel demonstrates our strong resolve to build a more sustainable steel industry in the United States and across the world.”

ResponsibleSteel is a global multi-stakeholder standards body, enabling certification at the site level — and now for the first-time — steel certification.

The ResponsibleSteel International Production Standard incorporates environmental, social and governance requirements across its thirteen Principles, which include over 500 criteria for the responsible sourcing and production of steel. Certified Steel requires both site certification and additional conformance with two key components: progress on the responsible sourcing of input materials and site-level decarbonization.

According U. S. Steel, the standard is constructed not only to encourage decarbonization progress at the site, but also to drive responsible sourcing and a rigorous supply chain ESG analysis.

“ResponsibleSteel employs a comprehensive approach to its certification standards, and that is evident in the work we do here at Big River Steel,” said Dan Brown, U. S. Steel’s senior vice president of advanced technology steelmaking and Big River’s chief operating officer. 

“Our transparency around decarbonization and collaborative approach with our suppliers and community all play a role in what it means to have truly ‘sustainable’ steel products for our customers,” Brown said.