ResponsibleSteel™ welcomes The Nickel Institute into membership
The Nickel Institute is the global association of leading primary nickel producers. Their mission is to promote and support the appropriate use of nickel in appropriate applications. One of the main applications being its use in the production and strengthening of stainless steel.
While its role is often hidden, nickel is an enabler of many technologies required for sustainability. Nickel contributes to various of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Thanks to its outstanding physical-chemical properties, nickel makes articles more durable, ensures an increased lifetime and results in less maintenance. Due to the high economic value, nickel is moreover a metal with highest recycling efficiencies and contributes therefore to a circular economy.
The nickel value chain is also a significant contributor to economic development. And the science and technical know-how shared freely by the Nickel Institute contribute knowledge to enable nickel to be used safely and efficiently.
“We appreciate the opportunity to join the ResponsibleSteel initiative as an Associate Member. Stainless steel accounts for more than two third of all nickel uses globally. It is therefore important for us – on behalf of our member companies – to closely cooperate with the carbon and stainless steel industry in view of responsible sourcing” said Dr Veronique Steukers, Global Director Public Policy.
Matthew Wenban-Smith, Executive Director, ResponsibleSteel, said: “Having the Nickel Institute as a new Associate Member of ResponsibleSteel is extremely good news – both for the organisation as a whole but also for all of our other members who will greatly benefit from the input and experience that the Nickel Institute will bring to our projects and programmes.”
SteelZero First Workshop
“SteelZero”, brought to you by The Climate Group and ResponsibleSteel held its first workshop on April 16th. SteelZero is an initiative to drive a major shift in the global market for the responsible sourcing and production of steel. SteelZero provides a forum for leading steel buyers across multiple sectors to co-create and support a powerful commitment to sourcing steel in a net zero economy, alongside a roadmap of action.
This first workshop was attended by a total of 46 individuals, representing 14 demand side businesses and business associations across the following sectors: construction & property, consumer products, automotive, finance and renewable energy. Additionally, 9 civil society organisations were represented to contribute to the conversation.
Key focus areas of the workshop were to explore what a commitment around the procurement of responsible low/zero carbon steel may look like and discuss if there are specific workstreams a group could take on to help make the procurement of responsible low/zero carbon steel a practicality. All participants had the opportunity to actively contribute to smaller group break-out discussions exploring commitments and workstreams.
A number of presentations were given by stakeholders to help shape the discussions. Presenters included the Energy Transitions Commission (ETC) on their Net-Zero Steel Initiative and the World Green Building Council on their Advancing Net Zero project, specifically covering the work both organisations have done regarding demand signals. ArcelorMittal presented the producer’s perspective of issues that need to be overcome to bring responsible low/zero carbon steel to the market and the importance of the demand signal from steel buyers.
There was a very high level of engagement during the workshop from both business and civil society participants. The SteelZero project team gained a clearer understanding of what is required by participants. The next stage is for the project team to have a series of follow up conversations with businesses to shape a formal commitment to the procurement of responsible low/zero carbon steel.”
More to follow on this project as it develops, in the meantime please feel free to have a look through a presentation that can be found here on the ResponsibleSteel website.
ERM CVS joins ResponsibleSteel™
ERM CVS is the independent Certification and Verification business within the ERM global sustainability services group with access to a network of 5500 practitioners in 40 countries to deliver innovative 3rd party assurance to manage sustainability challenges.
ERM CVS’ relationship with the metals, mining and manufacturing sectors cuts across all types and size of business and has created an informed and client driven approach. ERM CVS is a long standing provider against many schemes related to the Responsible Steel Standard with access to technical, sustainability and social experts to ensure our outputs reflect the goals of our clients in driving improvements in systems implementation and performance through the value chain.
Mick Jenkins, Managing Partner at ERM CVS, said: “We are very pleased to be able to make an active contribution to the responsible steel market through our independent and impartial services. The scheme links intentionally with our other certification and assurance services towards fuller sustainability sourcing and social balance through the value chain.”
Matthew Wenban-Smith, Executive Director, ResponsibleSteel, said: We are delighted to welcome ERM CVS as a Responsible Steel Associate Member. Ensuring we have a range of certification and verification organisations within our membership is crucial to ensure we get expert input to help us continue to develop the highest quality standard for the steel sector.”
Australian Steel Mill Services joins ResponsibleSteel™
ResponsibleSteel welcomes Australian Steel Mill Services (ASMS) as a new Member.
ASMS is a joint venture between Cement Australia Group and the Edward C Levy Co (USA), providing slag-handling services to BlueScope Port Kembla. ASMS is focused on the sustainable, value-added utilisation of steelmaking co-products into applications such as cement, concrete, civil infrastructure and agriculture.
Mark Cross, General Manager, ASMS, said: “The comprehensive ESG agenda laid out by ResponsibleSteel for industry participants mirrors key areas of focus for ASMS. These include environment, safety and community concerns, as well as the effective utilisation and recovery of resources. ASMS looks forward to participating in the ResponsibleSteel initiative in moving towards the goal of a more sustainable future for our industry.”
Matthew Wenban-Smith, Executive Director, ResponsibleSteel, said: “We welcome Australian Steel Mill Services as a new Member. The involvement of more companies in the Australian steel supply chain will greatly contribute to achieving responsible production throughout the industry, both in Australia and worldwide.”
Multi-stakeholder panel on the impacts of the coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic
The coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic is affecting people, businesses and organisations in every country of the world.
We invite ResponsibleSteel members and stakeholders to hear our board members Alan Knight of ArcelorMittal, Gerry Tidd of BlueScope Steel, Giulia Carbone of IUCN) and Matthias Hartwich of IndustriALL discuss how the crisis is impacting on their own organisations, how they are responding, and their thoughts for the future.
The webinar panel discussion will take place on Tuesday 31st March from 8.00am to 9.00am British Summer Time (9.00am to 10.00am Central European Summer Time).
Call-in details to follow shortly, if you are not a member of our mailing list and would like an invitation please use the contact details below.
If you have any questions please get in contact with George Deslandes (Operations Coordinator), gdeslandes@responsiblesteel.org.
Changes to upcoming ResponsibleSteel™ meetings
The health and safety of our Members is of utmost importance and so, like many organisations, we are making some changes to our scheduled meetings, to reduce the risk of infection of coronavirus, and in light of travel restrictions.
The Working Group meetings scheduled for 22 and 23 April 2020 will be held virtually, with the meetings on 23 April rescheduled to 24 April. Participants will be advised how to join the meetings. There will be four sessions in total, with a morning and evening session on both days, in order to cover most time zones.
22 April 8:00am – 10:00am UK Summer Time: Three separate working group meetings (GHG, Raw Materials, Steel Product Claims) to take place in parallel, Session 1
22 April 5.00pm – 7.30pm UK Summer Time: Three separate working group meetings taking place in parallel, Session 2, starting with 30 minute resume of Session 1 progress.
23 April: No meeting. The Secretariat will collate and circulate developments from 22 April, for discussion the following day.
24 April 8:00am – 10:00am UK Summer Time: Combined group meetings to take place, Session 1
24 April 5.00pm – 7.30pm UK Summer Time: Combined group meetings to take place, Session 2, starting with 30 minute resume of Session 1 progress.
There will also be a virtual replacement for the Members’ meeting in June. Please keep 24-26 June free for virtual meetings of the Working Groups and Members. More details will be announced in due course.
We are considering organising an in-person Members’ meeting in the second half of the year, and will review and update on the situation as it develops.
We wish all our Members and friends well, personally and professionally, during these challenging times.
Photo credit: worldsteel library
Russia’s leading mining and metallurgical companies discuss sustainable practices
On 27 February 2020, over 60 representatives of leading metallurgical and mining companies in Russia, attended a seminar at KPMG Russia, introducing best practices for sustainable development.
The seminar participants focused on the issues of certification of metallurgical sites to comply with the ResponsibleSteel Standard, as well as how to reduce the carbon footprint of businesses, including through the implementation of forest and climatic projects.
Matthew Wenban-Smith, Executive Director, ResponsibleSteel, presented an update on the current development of the ResponsibleSteel Standard, certification and assurance programme, including news of the first site audit completed at ArcelorMittal in Belgium.
Andrey Ptichnikov, a representative of ResponsibleSteel member Institute of Geography, spoke about a number of pressing certification issues, such as the demand for certified low-carbon steel in a number of market sectors. The participants showed a keen interest in the ResponsibleSteel Standard, and the dialogue with Russian businesses will continue.
ResponsibleSteel™ assurance programme gains momentum
The assurance programme is well underway with two certification bodies approved, two auditor training sessions delivered, and the first audit site visit completed.
Certification bodies: Two certification bodies have been approved to carry out ResponsibleSteel audits – AFNOR Certification and GUT Certifizierungsgesellschaft für Managementsysteme mbH. More details here.
Auditor training: The second auditor training took place on 11-13 February in London. The next auditor training is scheduled for 30 March – 1 April at the DNV GL offices in London.
Audit site visit: The first audit site visit was completed in February, for the Belgium sites of ArcelorMittal. More details here.
Photo credit: worldsteel library
Challenge Sustainability joins ResponsibleSteel™
ResponsibleSteel welcomes Challenge Sustainability as a new Associate Member.
Challenge Sustainability provides consultancy services to international companies on sustainability strategy, reporting and communications. The organisation has extensive experience working in the steel sector and other related industries, and has been involved in the development of the ResponsibleSteel Standard.
Jon Woodhead, Director, Challenge Sustainability, said: “We see the ResponsibleSteel Standard as an important opportunity for steel sector companies to demonstrate how they are working to meet the sustainability challenges associated with the responsible sourcing and production of steel. We expect that the ResponsibleSteel Standard will support core business success for steel sector companies.”
Matthew Wenban-Smith, Executive Director, ResponsibleSteel, said: “We are delighted to welcome Challenge Sustainability as a new Associate Member and look forward to benefitting from the organisation’s expertise.”
International Tin Association joins ResponsibleSteel™
ResponsibleSteel welcomes International Tin Association as a new Associate Member.
The International Tin Association (ITA) is dedicated to supporting discussion and action on important regional and global issues affecting the tin industry. ITA brings together the world’s major tin producers to ensure an innovative, competitive, and sustainable tin supply chain that contributes to sustainable development and improved quality of life.
ITA’s leading responsible sourcing initiatives, including ITSCI and the tin Code of Conduct, help companies source minerals by embedding Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations into their decisions and practices.
Kay Nimmo, Head of Sustainability, International Tin Association, said: “Tinplate is an effective packaging material in which tin protects steel against corrosion and contributes to the preservation of food. We are delighted to partner with ResponsibleSteel in its mission to maximise steel’s contribution to a sustainable society. This partnership demonstrates the leadership of both organisations to inspire and drive sustainable and ethical production in the metal sector.”
Matthew Wenban-Smith, Executive Director, ResponsibleSteel, said: “It is important to collaborate with members from every stage of the steel supply chain and we welcome International Tin Association as a new Associate Member. We recognise ITA’s focus on responsible sourcing initiatives and the Code of Conduct, which complements the ResponsibleSteel Standard.”
ResponsibleSteel™ is looking for a new CEO
ResponsibleSteel is recruiting a New CEO to take the organisation into its next exciting phase of growth.
Our current Executive Director, Matthew Wenban-Smith who has been the driver of our success and growth over the last two years has signalled his wish to focus on the policy and standards development of ResponsibleSteel. With this in mind he has asked to transition his contribution from full time Executive Director to Policy Director, with an extended handover period this year.
Therefore we are on the look-out for a new CEO, who will play a critical commercial role building ResponsibleSteel into a global entity recognised and respected as a leader in the sustainability performance of global steel producers. The new CEO will be working closely with an experienced and collegiate Board, to develop and execute the strategy, identify and secure funding and membership in relevant sectors and geographies, and represent the initiative to public, private and civil society stakeholders in an international setting.
This position represents a unique opportunity to play a key role in furthering the sustainability performance of the world’s largest materials industry, ultimately providing businesses and consumers worldwide with confidence that the steel they use has been sourced and produced responsibly at all levels of the supply chain.
We are considering candidates who are able to work in either the UK or Australia (London, Sydney or Melbourne)
If this is of interest to you or you would like more information then please contact our recruitment specialists Acre here.
Photo credit: WorldSteel library
Update on new ResponsibleSteel™ Working Groups
ResponsibleSteel is convening three new Working Groups on Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Raw Materials and Steel Product Claims. Participants are being invited to join the Working Groups, with initial briefings starting in March.
The Working Groups Terms of Reference are:
1. Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG)
• To agree a standard to measure and report the GHG emissions intensity for crude steel production consistently for all steel producers, as the basis for subsequent claims about the GHG emissions associated with ResponsibleSteel certified steel products.
• To agree one or more performance levels in relation to the GHG emissions intensity of steel production that will need to be met in order to make claims about the ResponsibleSteel certified status of steel products.
2. Raw Materials
• To agree the criteria for recognition of mine level assurance programmes by ResponsibleSteel.
• To agree the requirements to be met for the sourcing of the raw materials for steelmaking, in order to make claims about the ResponsibleSteel certified status of steel products.
• To agree one or more performance levels in relation to raw material sourcing, that will need to be met in order to make claims about the ResponsibleSteel certified status of steel products.
3. Steel Product Claims
• To agree the framework for making claims about the ResponsibleSteel certified status of steel products, that will drive the greatest improvements in social and environmental performance related to the sourcing and production of steel.
Photo credit: worldsteel image library