ArcelorMittal Brazil achieves certifications covering six new sites

ArcelorMittal Brazil has achieved ResponsibleSteel Core Site Certification covering six sites: Juiz de Fora, Resende, Barra Mansa, Piracicaba, Sabará, and São Paulo. This achievement follows three previous certifications in 2022 and 2023 for the company's Tubarão, Monlevade, and Vega sites.

ArcelorMittal Brazil is the largest steelmaker in the country, producing long and flat carbon steel products for the automotive, household appliances, packaging, construction, and shipbuilding industries. These six newly certified sites collectively have a production capacity of around 5 million tonnes of steel annually and employ over 5,800 workers and subcontractors.

ArcelorMittal Brazil's President and CEO of ArcelorMittal Long Products and Mining LATAM, Jefferson de Paula stated, “We expect to have 100% of ArcelorMittal’s steel production operations in Brazil certified to site level by next year, meeting the highest standards and sustainability criteria. Thus, we will ensure 40% of sustainable steel production in Brazil.”

ArcelorMittal was the first company in Brazil and the Americas more broadly, to achieve Core Site Certification against the ResponsibleSteel International Production Standard. To achieve Core Site Certification, the sites were evaluated against the Production Standard's 13 environmental, social and governance principles, covering everything from the sites' operating infrastructure and production processes to the way the sites manage their employees and relate with the community.

Annie Heaton, ResponsibleSteel's CEO, commented, “This announcement is significant, given Brazil's strategic position in both steelmaking and iron ore production, and these certifications mean that around a third of the industry's capacity in country is now ResponsibleSteel-certified. As Brazil prepares to host COP30 later this year, it is important to see the steel industry put its sustainability commitments into action, not only to decarbonise but to do so whilst taking responsibility for people and nature. ArcelorMittal Brazil’s ongoing accountability to the world's most rigorous, broad-based sustainability standard demonstrates real leadership in driving the industry's journey to more sustainable practices.”

The certification body in charge of the audits, DNV Brazil, assessed the sites against a range of criteria relating to responsible business conduct, occupational health and safety, stakeholder engagement, control of socio-environmental impacts, water resource management, greenhouse gas emissions, and biodiversity protection, among others. This included reviewing the Biodiversity Master Plan, the Basin Predictability Study, the promotion of projects supported by the ArcelorMittal Foundation, and structural improvements in the common areas of the sites to improve worker safety. The audit process also included visits to each of the sites and interviews with workers and local stakeholders.

Learn more about ResponsibleSteel certification here or view the certificates and public audit summaries for sites currently covered by certification here.