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IndustriALL discusses the importance of building a safe and responsible steel sector
To mark World Day for Safety and Health at Work, we spoke with Matthias Hartwich, Director for Mechanical Engineering and Base Metals at ResponsibleSteel member IndustriALL, about the importance of a safe and healthy workplace, labour rights, and how we can work to build a more responsible steel industry.
Why is World Safety Day important?
The members of our affiliated unions, the men and women, all workers, are the ones who make the steel. They are the ones who either live or die, who return in either good or bad health from their workplaces in the steel industry. If anything goes wrong, they pay with their health, or even with their lives. That is why we support every effort to improve working conditions and occupational health and safety measures.
It’s so important having you as a member of ResponsibleSteel – what do you think the main benefits are in being part of our community?
For IndustriALL, it is important to represent our affiliates in a growing organization aimed at producing steel in a responsible way. Within ResponsibleSteel, we, as a global trade union can give the men and women working in the industry a voice in the discussions on ResponsibleSteel’s standards and on what producing steel in a responsible manner means for workers and their unions around the world. Having this multi-stakeholder approach is crucial.
You do extraordinary work on labour relations and trade union advocacy worldwide – how do you think ResponsibleSteel can better contribute to our shared agenda?
We will invite ResponsibleSteel’s CEO to our next sectorial steering committee meeting as a guest speaker. I hope this will give us a better understanding of where we can cooperate and where we cannot. I am sure there is a lot of common ground to cover, but responsibility is also on our end. IndustriALL needs to provide input so that ResponsibleSteel can see where the organization can and wants to contribute.
What do you think the top three priorities should be for the steel sector right now in relation to social justice/human rights/labour rights?
Most importantly, I think that a general understanding and respect for ILO Core Labour Standards & Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work are crucial in every steel and mining operation that seeks to be certified by ResponsibleSteel.
Today, on International Workers’ Memorial Day, we are remembering our dead or disabled colleagues in the steel sector. Hence, a core question is to make sure that the ILO conventions referring to health and safety are respected and reviewed during certification procedures. The conventions are:
- Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention no. 187
- Occupational Safety and Health Convention no. 155
- Occupational Health Services Convention no. 161
It is also crucial to adopt a general approach of Just Transition in the steel industry. This goes beyond ResponsibleSteel’s remit, but we think that a changing steel industry needs the workers’ perspective when it comes to piloting through the upcoming changes in our important industry.
Why is it so important to have a global standard for the steel industry? How does this help to protect workers’ rights?
Workers’ and unions’ rights must become indispensable when certifying steel. ResponsibleSteel can be of great support to achieve this. The standard can deliver and support this – especially if we train our certification bodies accordingly.
What does responsibility mean to you in relation to the steel industry and workers’ rights?
Steel producers along the value chain must accept responsibility for fair treatment of their employees, including sub-contractors. The ILO conventions above are key. If every steel producer in the world applies these standards, we will make huge progress, both for the workers, but also for the industry as a whole.
As ResponsibleSteel has started to engage the global steel industry in its certification programme, what do you foresee being the greatest challenges to this process and how might we overcome them?
So far, some steel producers do not include workers’ rights in their responsibilities. This may be partly due to a lack of knowledge and partly due to disrespect. Auditors and certification bodies must keep an eye on this during the certification process. In addition, our affiliated unions need to keep an eye on ongoing certifications and must sound the alarm if things are not progressing according to our standards. All elements of ResponsibleSteel’s Standard must be respected in order to become certified.
Where would you like to see the steel industry by 2030 in terms of labour relations? What do you think we should be hoping to achieve?
I’d love to see a steel world where ILO Core Conventions and Health and Safety conventions are respected in every steel operation worldwide. This should happen for the direct employees, but also for the indirect, or subcontracted workers, as well as for the workers along the supply chain. I hope that we achieve to cover a critical size of the annual tonnage with our standard and with respective certifications.
What does climate justice mean to your members/IndustriALL?
This is easy and hard to achieve. We demand what we call Just Transition. This simply means that no worker – regardless of blue or white collar, regardless of directly employed or subcontracted – is left behind in the transition process that the steel industry will go through.
In other words: we want to see a climate-neutral steel industry that still offers clean, healthy and good workplaces, where men and women in the industry are proud to contribute to responsibly produced, climate-neutral steel. This is what sustainability is all about.
IndustriALL Global Union represents 50 million workers in 140 countries in the mining, energy and manufacturing sectors and is a force in global solidarity taking up the fight for better working conditions and trade union rights around the world.
IndustriALL challenges the power of multinational companies and negotiates with them on a global level. IndustriALL fights for another model of globalization and a new economic and social model that puts people first, based on democracy and social justice.
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Carbon Re Talks Creativity and Innovation in the Steel Industry
Creativity and innovation are an integral part of the steel industry. To mark World Creativity and Innovation Day, we asked Buffy Price and Sherif Elsayed-Ali, co-founders and current COO and CEO of ResponsibleSteel member Carbon Re, a few questions about what they think the next steps are for the sector in terms of utilising new technology and artificial intelligence to advance decarbonisation initiatives.
1. Many people might not immediately think of steel when discussing World Creativity and Innovation Day, but these have played a major role in the development of the industry. Why do you think it is so important to apply this same creative approach to decarbonisation?
Steel is probably more intertwined with creativity and innovation than any other material, both with regards to its uses and how different steels are made. The invention of steel itself was one of the biggest industrial innovations in human history, taking iron ore and transforming it into an incredibly versatile and reliable alloy.
The beauty of steel is that it’s at home in everything from building structures to sculptures and spacecraft. The properties of steel allow industrial designers, architects and artists to create an infinite variety of tools, machines, buildings, and art.
Today there are four main types of steel and more than 3,500 grades, each with properties tuned for specific applications. This huge number is only possible because of the talent and continuous innovation in the steel industry.
2. How is Carbon Re currently working to support steel decarbonisation?
Steel is a very hard industry to decarbonize. Carbon Re’s focus is on developing solutions that bring financial and climate benefits to steel producers today—solutions that can be scaled rapidly. We are doing this by leveraging the huge advances in computation and artificial intelligence to help optimize steel production, reducing energy costs and emissions simultaneously.
Steelmaking may seem like a known quantity—in general terms it is, but it is also very complex, with physical and chemical interactions constantly changing as a result of the chemistry of fuels and materials, the state of equipment and the natural variation in the process.
We leverage the huge amount of data produced by industrial sensors and IoT to build a digital twin of the production process that reproduces the specific characteristics of a given plant, rather than being a generalised physics-based model. This digital twin then acts as a virtual training environment for artificial intelligence agents that learn through a method called reinforcement learning, a branch of AI particularly well-suited to complex environments whereby the AI learns by trial and error.
The results are AI agents that support operator decision-making, enabling dynamic adjustments of the production process to produce the desired amount of material, with the required quality at very efficient energy levels.
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3. We are very proud to have Carbon Re as a member of ResponsibleSteel. What made you want to be part of the growing RS community?
The world is not moving fast enough to tackle climate change and most technological solutions are 10 years off impact and scale. We absolutely must take a multi-pronged collaborative approach to decarbonization and building a community like ResponsibleSteel is a vital part of that process. In fact, ResponsibleSteel has emerged as the leading global initiative to accelerate decarbonization in the steel industry and we are very proud to be part of it.
4. How do you think we can better support decarbonisation in the steel industry?
There are a number of challenges to decarbonization: technical, financial and regulatory. On the technical side, we need to encourage fast innovation and technology demonstration. Financially, we need the right incentives to encourage decarbonization—whether these take the form of carbon pricing or tax credits. Finally, on the regulatory side, we need active policies to support the steel industry to reduce its carbon intensity including, for example, responsive building codes that enable, rather than hinder, innovation in building materials.
5. Why do you think it is so important to have a global steel standard?
We think it is important to create a level playing field across the industry by ensuring consistency and transparency across measurement and reporting mechanisms. This not only substantiates claims and provides benchmarks for progress but also empowers steel buyers to make the right decisions to fulfil their own decarbonization objectives.
6. We are currently revising our ResponsibleSteel Standard to include enhanced GHG emissions and sourcing criteria. What do you foresee as the greatest challenges in tackling emissions in the steel sector?
The biggest challenge is almost certainly the substantial costs associated with most decarbonization solutions and dealing with legacy infrastructure. But there are low-cost solutions that can help tackle carbon emissions in the short to medium term.
7. What steps should steelmakers be taking to decarbonise? What innovations should they be adopting?
First, we have to acknowledge two realities.
The first is that the widespread use of steel is essential to modern societies and that there is no real replacement for it—not just because of its versatility but because iron is one of the most abundant elements in the world. The world produces close to two billion tons of steel every year, second only to cement as the most produced material in the world.
The second reality is that producing steel produces a lot of CO2 emissions, both due to the types of fuel used—such as coal—and the process CO2 emissions in blast furnace steelmaking. Today, these are very hard to decarbonize. There are technological solutions such as CCUS and green hydrogen, but they face many challenges for widespread adoption, including costs, energy requirements and storage/reuse requirements (for CCUS).
These technologies will evolve and become more affordable with time, but we simply can’t wait to start decarbonizing. I think we need to think of decarbonization in the steel industry in terms of three phases:
- Optimizing the use of existing assets
- Improving existing assets, for example by retrofitting CCUS
- Building a new generation of low-carbon assets
At Carbon Re, our focus today is optimizing the use of existing assets by delivering technology that provides near immediate financial and decarbonization benefits to steelmakers and that can be scaled rapidly.
8. How important do you think artificial intelligence is in the fight against climate change?
AI is a foundational technology—it can enable new applications in almost every industry, but it doesn’t work alone. When combined with industry-specific expertise and with other scientific fields such as chemistry and material sciences, it can accelerate the development of new solutions and new discoveries.
As such, AI has a very important role in the fight against climate change—from measuring emissions to modelling climate change to improving industrial processes and designing new low-carbon materials.
At Carbon Re, we are building a world-class multidisciplinary team, not just to bring the latest AI techniques to steelmaking, but to push the state-of-the-art of what’s possible to make the decarbonization of the industry a reality.
Buffy Price is co-founder & COO of Carbon Re. She was formerly AI for Climate Partnerships Manager at Element AI and Senior Advisor at Amnesty International. Buffy has extensive experience in change management, organizational processes and project management.
Sherif Elsayed-Ali is co-founder & CEO. A construction engineer by training, he has extensive experience in technology innovation and leadership. Before Carbon Re, Sherif led the AI for climate practice at Element AI and co-founded Amnesty Tech. He has a BSc from the Americana University in Cairo and an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School.
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June 2022 Newsletter
Please view our June 2022 newsletter by clicking the link below:
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SteelZero: Driving the Collective Change for Net Zero Emissions
This is a crucial time for the steel sector and wider efforts to decarbonise heavy industry. With the G7 summit taking place in June, it’s vital that business leaders and policy decision-makers are equipped with the right information to drive the change needed.
So it’s timely and welcome that a new policy paper released by SteelZero – a global initiative led by international non-profit Climate Group in partnership with ResponsibleSteel – has set out steps governments must take to support the steel industry in its drive to achieve net zero emissions.
The policy position highlights six key principles to accelerate the net zero transition of the steel industry. If widely implemented, this will mobilise the systemic change that’s needed and support businesses in meeting their net zero steel targets by 2050. The paper calls on government decision-makers to:
- Promote a global standard and definition on what low emission and net zero steel is
- Support the public sector in using low emission and net zero steel in current and future projects
- Get businesses to measure and report on the carbon emissions associated with the steel they use
- Encourage better use of steel in the first place while ensuring that steel can be easily recycled
- Set expectations on what’s needed from steelmakers to drastically cut carbon emissions
- Create a level playing field for net zero steel in global markets
To read the full report, click here.
Meanwhile, further discussions at SteelZero’s Summit on May 31st will bring together leaders from across the global steel industry – and for the first time ever, centers on the demand side of the conversation.
ResponsibleSteel’s policy experts will be speaking at the event and calling for “steelmakers, downstream customers, and other organisations to join SteelZero and become part of this dynamic community for change.”
More on SteelZero:
SteelZero members make a public commitment to procure 100% net zero steel by 2050, with an interim commitment of using 50% responsibly produced steel by 2030.
By harnessing the collective purchasing power and influence of its members, SteelZero is shifting global markets and policies towards the responsible production and sourcing of steel.
For more details on SteelZero and becoming a member, click here.
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ArcelorMittal Méditerranée becomes the group’s first French entity to be certified
ArcelorMittal has obtained ResponsibleSteel certification for its sites in Fos-sur-Mer (Bouches du Rhône) and Saint Chély d’Apcher (Lozère).
This result indicates that production has met strict standards on a wide range of #ESG indicators. ArcelorMittal Méditerranée engaged the international firm AFNOR Group, which specializes in assessment and certification services, to undertake the audit.
The Fos-sur-Mer site has committed to developing a steel circularity project that will increase the amount of recycled steel fivefold by 2025 and a plan to replace a blast furnace with an electric arc furnace by 2027. In Saint-Chély d’Apcher, the site is already part of a #circulareconomy initiative: the heat generated by production is injected into the town’s heating network and covers the energy needs corresponding to the consumption of around 1,150 homes. An electrolyser project developed by GENVIA is also underway to produce carbon-free hydrogen.
Bruno Ribo, CEO of ArcelorMittal Méditerranée, said: “This certification recognizes the work of our teams for biodiversity, safety at work, but also the environment, decarbonization, equal opportunities…It is not only a recognition, it is also a long-term commitment to pursue substantive actions that are positive for people as well as for the planet and to develop our relationships with all stakeholders, our employees and partners, as well as the people living near our plants.”
Ali Lucas, Acting CEO of ResponsibleSteel, added: “ArcelorMittal Méditerranée’s certification is to be congratulated. Achieving certification is a major step – it requires compliance with a wide range of criteria across the ESG spectrum. It represents a site’s commitment to working towards a more sustainable and responsible future for workers, stakeholders and the environment. Following the certification of several sites in Europe in 2021 and in Brazil earlier this year, this demonstrates ArcelorMittal’s continued dedication and ability to drive change within the steel industry.”
To view the full press release, click here.
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ArcelorMittal España Awarded ResponsibleSteel Certification for Asturias Cluster
The ArcelorMittal Asturias Cluster in Spain is the latest to receive a ResponsibleSteel certification, the world’s first global multi-stakeholder standard and certification initiative for the steel sector.
It is the fifth ArcelorMittal cluster to receive certification, following sites in Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg last year and France earlier this month. The cluster, comprising sites in Asturias, Etxebarri, Lesaka, and Sagunto, achieved certification following a rigorous, independent audit conducted by DNV GL. The process successfully verified that each site’s activities met ResponsibleSteel’s 12 Principles, covering a range of ESG criteria, including:
· Climate Change and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
· Water Stewardship and Biodiversity
· Human Rights and Labour Rights
· Community Relations and Business Integrity
Commenting on the certification, Phlippe Meyran, CEO of ArcelorMittal’s Asturias Cluster, said: “Obtaining ResponsibleSteel certification reflects our commitment to our people, the Community and the environment in which we operate. Society’s expectations are growing and require us to be part of the solution to ensure we leave a more sustainable planet for future generations. Steel is the most widely used material in the world and those using it in sectors such as transport, automotive, infrastructure, packaging, construction, energy and household appliances increasingly require the assurance that the materials they use have been obtained through sourcing and production processes based on responsible practice. The goal of ResponsibleSteel is to satisfy such requirements.”
He continued, “This certification distinguishes us from our competitors and endorses the path we have undertaken to decarbonise our business and make it sustainable for future generations. This is what responsible management is about, management that combines economic development, social inclusion, environmental sustainability and transparent governance, in order to contribute to the creation of a more sustainable future for people and the planet.”
Acting CEO of ResponsibleSteel, Ali Lucas, stated: “We are very proud to award ArcelorMittal Asturias Cluster with the first ResponsibleSteel certificate issued in Spain. This cluster of sites has worked very hard to fulfil the 12 Principles of the ResponsibleSteel Standard. It is no easy task – we believe building a responsible steel sector requires a comprehensive approach encompassing a range of criteria across the ESG spectrum. It isn’t enough to only focus on reduced carbon emissions. Certified sites must also ensure that they are fully aligned with our other sustainability objectives, for example, ensuring good water stewardship, creating a healthy and safe workplace, safeguarding labour rights, and engaging with local communities and other stakeholders. We heartily congratulate ArcelorMittal Asturias on this momentous achievement.”
To view the full press release, click here.
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May 2022 Newsletter
Please view our May 2022 newsletter by clicking the link below:
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ResponsibleSteel Appoints New CEO to Lead Growth Agenda
The Board of ResponsibleSteel today announces that it has appointed leading steel industry sustainability expert, Annie Heaton, as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective June 13, 2022.
Following an international search and selection process, led by a combined RS civil society and business selection panel, Annie was chosen as the preferred CEO, from a strong field of candidates.
Annie has spent the last eight years shaping ArcelorMittal’s sustainability agenda. Prior to this, she worked with the global renewable energy company RES and several non-profit organisations, including ActionAid and Save the Children.
ResponsibleSteel Chairman, Gerry Tidd, said; “This vital role attracted talented executives from around the world, demonstrating how important sustainability is in the global steel sector. Annie Heaton was chosen for her expertise and experience and her clear vision and strategy for taking ResponsibleSteel to the next phase of growth and development.”
“Annie joins us from a senior sustainability role with major international steelmaker, and founding RS member, ArcelorMittal. Her appointment comes at a critical and exciting time for ResponsibleSteel; our membership is growing, steelmaking sites are being audited and certified, and the world’s first standard for certification of steel products is nearing completion and being prepared for launch,” Mr Tidd said.
Based in London, Annie Heaton will lead the RS Secretariat to drive sustainability through the steel industry, with a keen focus on expansion in Asia and North America.
Of her selection as CEO, Ms Heaton said, “I am proud and delighted to be joining ResponsibleSteel to lead it into a new phase of growth and significance. The world understands that consistent credible sustainability standards are needed to support the steel sector’s progress to a sustainable, decarbonised industry. ResponsibleSteel is ready to meet this need.”
She continued, “2022 is an exciting year for ResponsibleSteel, its Members, and the decarbonisation of the steel industry. I am delighted to be taking the helm at such an important time and look forward to starting in June.”
Contacts:
Ali Lucas, Acting CEO:
alucas@responsiblesteel.org
+44 7786 546724
Savannah Hayes, Communications Manager:
shayes@responsiblesteel.org
+44 7588 785909
Denise Meredith, Communications and Media Consultant:
denisemeredith1857@gmail.com
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April 2022 Newsletter
Please view our April 2022 newsletter by clicking the link below:
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ResponsibleSteel announces world’s first certified steelmaking site in North America: U.S. Steel’s Big River mill in Osceola, Arkansas
The Big River Steel mill in Osceola, Arkansas owned and managed by U. S. Steel has been awarded the first-ever ResponsibleSteel™ site certification in North America.
Big River Steel received the site certification after SRI Quality System Registrar (SRI) conducted an independent third-party audit and determined the mill met the stringent requirements of the ResponsibleSteel Standard, the industry’s only global multi-stakeholder standard and certification initiative. The rigorous audit consisted of gathering comprehensive materials, onsite visits and worker and stakeholder interviews.
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 all assets of the steel value chain.
Alison Lucas, acting CEO said, “We are delighted that U. S. Steel’s Big River site has become the first site in North America to successfully pass an independent audit against the ResponsibleSteel Standard – the global sustainability standard for the steel sector. This is a significant achievement. Our Standard, developed by the only international multi-stakeholder steel initiative, ensures that steelmaking sites comply with a comprehensive selection of criteria that reflect the full breadth of the ESG spectrum. So meaning they are 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 labour rights and care for the natural environment.”
Lucas concluded, “As one of the largest steel-producing countries globally, getting steelmakers in the US certified is crucial. We are looking forward to working closely with US Steel on the next stage of their journey.”
The audit identified three areas that will require further improvement from Big River Steel. Two of these are related to paid annual leave and paid maternity leave. The ResponsibleSteel Standard aligns with the International Labour Organization (ILO) on these two issues. The United States has not ratified the related ILO Conventions, therefore U.S.-based companies grant paid annual leave and maternity leave to their employees differently. ResponsibleSteel will consult with stakeholders on how these two requirements should be applied in the United States.
For more on the story click here.
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Suspension of certain auditing activities
ResponsibleSteel expresses grave concern about actions that compromise global peace and give rise to humanitarian crises. The principles which form the ResponsibleSteel Standard emphasise, among other matters, the importance of protecting and promoting human rights, labour rights, and safe and healthy workplaces, as well as legal compliance. The current and ongoing actions of aggression of the Russian Federation in Ukraine do not align with ResponsibleSteel’s principles, and ResponsibleSteel agrees that such actions violate International Law.
Due to the evolving nature of Governmental sanctions affecting certain organisations and individuals in the international steel industry, as imposed by the EU, Australia and other countries and organisations, ResponsibleSteel has decided that it is necessary to impose a suspension on the auditing of facilities of certain members.
At this stage, because of the circumstances described above, as well as the order of the International Court of Justice for the Russian Federation to immediately cease its military operations in Ukraine, this action only affects members who ResponsibleSteel considers have significant operations in, or substantive connections to, the Russian Federation.
All members affected by this ResponsibleSteel decision will be individually contacted to have the situation explained to them. A suspension of auditing does not alter an affected member’s membership rights in ResponsibleSteel.
ResponsibleSteel will reconsider this decision regularly. ResponsibleSteel is hopeful that as soon as is possible, bearing in mind prevailing sanctions regimes, geopolitical stability, and other relevant circumstances, auditing suspensions will be promptly lifted.
This decision of ResponsibleSteel should not be taken to imply that any particular member of ResponsibleSteel, or any officer or employee of a member of ResponsibleSteel, has engaged in any wrongdoing or other inappropriate conduct. ResponsibleSteel simply believes that a generalised, and consistent, position on suspension of auditing is an effective measure to ensure that ResponsibleSteel does not breach any of its obligations under international or domestic laws, that personnel involved in the auditing process can carry out their duties independently and effectively and are not subject to any increased risks to their personal health and safety, and that engagement of stakeholders in the auditing process can be effective.
It may be that, over time, Governmental sanctions and other circumstances require ResponsibleSteel to take further action, including expanding limitations on auditing activities, and action affecting memberships, but such steps are not being considered at this stage.
For enquiries or comments, please contact:
Ali Lucas, Acting CEO and Communications Director +44 (0) 7786 546 724
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March 2022 Newsletter
Please view our March 2022 newsletter by clicking the link below: