We’re shaping  a more responsible steel industry.

Following a two-year audit process conducted by GUTcert, ArcelorMittal Duisburg has achieved Core Site Certification against the ResponsibleSteel International Production Standard.

The site has been in operation since the mid-nineteenth century. Today ArcelorMittal Duisburg produces casted blooms and billets for rerolling, rolled billets for rerolling and forging, and wire rod for the automotive, energy and mechanical industries

Nico Dewachtere, Chief Operating Officer at ArcelorMittal Europe - Long Products, commented, “Achieving ResponsibleSteel certification is not only a milestone, but reflects our shared values and commitment to sustainability, integrity and responsible practices. It is our promise to the environment, to our communities and to future generations.”

ArcelorMittal Duisburg employs almost 1,000 workers and contractors. As part of the audit, 30 workers were interviewed as well as representatives from local authorities, NGOs, marginalised groups, and other stakeholders.

Annie Heaton, CEO of ResponsibleSteel stated, “We congratulate ArcelorMittal Duisburg on achieving this important step in their sustainability journey. The ResponsibleSteel International Production Standard covers the full spectrum of ESG issues from labour rights and health and safety to emissions reduction and water and waste management, providing the fullest picture of sustainability. Site certification comes with a clear commitment from the sites’ management team to making progress in line with the Standard, in particular on the social pillar. And as ArcelorMittal Duisburg looks to the future with the construction of its new EAF, we look forward to continuing to work with the site and support their progress on the journey toward lower emissions steel.”

The site has aligned itself with ArcelorMittal's corporate GHG target to reduce scope 1 and scope 2 emissions by 35% across European operations by 2030 against a 2019 baseline.

ArcelorMittal has plans to construct an EAF at the Duisburg site, which will be supplied with low-emission sponge iron from ArcelorMittal's Hamburg site. This will allow the transition of the Duisburg site away from production using blast furnace-based pig iron to the DRI-EAF production route.

Dr Cem Kurutas, Chief Executive Officer of ArcelorMittal Duisburg, praised the commitment of all involved in the certification process, saying, “I would like to express my sincere thanks to everyone who contributed to this success. To the project managers who drove the project forward with their vision and expertise, to the teams who worked tirelessly day in, day out, and to all the employees whose dedication and hard work made this possible.”

View the certificate and read the public audit summary here.

Join us in this webinar to hear about the recently published findings and recommendations from the Roundtable on the Responsible Recycling of Metals (RRRM).

The webinar will take place via Microsoft Teams on Friday, July 19th at noon (BST).

RRRM is a multi-stakeholder initiative that seeks to ensure there are appropriate standards, systems and tools available for the responsible production and sourcing of recycled metals. The RRRM’s activities are driven by regular roundtable engagement, supported and coordinated by the secretariat and overseen by the Steering Group.

For over a year, RRRM has collaborated with stakeholders across the metals sector to better understand and make recommendations to improve ESG management and performance of recycled metal content and value chains.

The initiative has brought together metals recyclers, industry associations, voluntary sustainability standard setters, certification bodies, academics, NGOs, refiners and others and found that, while recycling delivers key socio-economic and environmental benefits, current approaches are insufficient to ensure recycled metals do not harm people or the environment.

A summary report, a 1-page route map, a risk profile, and three background reports with detailed findings and recommendations are all available on RRRM's website.

If you would like to join this webinar for ResponsibleSteel members, please contact our Head of Membership and Communications, Joe Woodruff.

Leading steelmakers globally are beginning to take steps to decarbonise and low emissions steel options are emerging on the market. But new analysis from ResponsibleSteel demonstrates that radical shifts to reduce emissions by a select number of industry leaders or “first movers” will not be sufficient. The entire steel industry needs to take immediate action to make progress on the journey to net zero. And this progress needs to be mapped out in a universal language.

Today, ResponsibleSteel unveils a landmark report, "Charting Progress to 1.5°C through Certification." Using two base scenarios – the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Net Zero Emissions by 2050, and the Mission Possible Partnership’s (MPP) Carbon Cost – the report offers a detailed mapping of the progress needed for the global steel industry to achieve climate commitments under the Paris Agreement. The report was reviewed in-depth by representatives from the IEA, the Energy Transitions Commission and Systemiq, and has been endorsed by industry, civil society and intergovernmental organisations including the OECD, Baowu Group, the Climate Group, and Lendlease.

According to the analysis, for the industry to meet its Paris Agreement obligations every steel plant in the world needs to be emitting less than today’s average emissions intensity by 2030. In other words, following a 1.5°C trajectory, today’s average emitters will become the industry’s worst offenders by 2030 if they do not take steps now to improve.

Annie Heaton, ResponsibleSteel’s CEO stated, “Transforming the steel industry will require bold and universal action. No one can sit on the sidelines. Our analysis shows how certification can be used both to plan and to track the progress of every site on an equitable basis. Those who are not certified cannot be tracked.”

The ResponsibleSteel International Production Standard is a powerful tool for steelmakers, policymakers, financial institutions, trade organisations, and campaigners, to track and drive the industry’s transition at pace and scale. The Production Standard’s Decarbonisation Progress Levels provide an internationally consistent framework that enables a like-for-like comparison of steel plants globally and incentivises all steelmakers to invest in decarbonised production processes whilst operating in a socially and environmentally responsible way at the same time.

ResponsibleSteel’s analysis of six key steelmaking regions clearly illustrates that there is a pathway for every part of the industry. Regional conditions such as scrap availability, natural resource endowments, climate policies, and available finance will likely impact the speed and nature of industrial change, but there is no room for inaction.

Furthermore, steelmakers must start to look beyond their physical site boundaries. Indirect supply chain-related emissions could make up about one-third of total average sectoral emissions by 2050, so reducing these will prove critical to the steel industry’s transition.

Ms Heaton continued, “ResponsibleSteel provides a trusted apparatus for measuring, comparing, and certifying progress in driving down emissions that steelmakers, buyers, investors, and policymakers can all get behind.”

Read the full report and interactive summary here.