Celebrating One Year Since ResponsibleSteel’s First Site Certifications

This week, we celebrate the one-year anniversary of the first site certifications carried out to the ResponsibleSteel Standard. The ArcelorMittal sites in Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany were the first sites to be independently audited and found to meet the exacting criteria contained in the ResponsibleSteel Standard.

The certifications marked an industry-first as the sites made a commitment to implementing the standard, encompassing 12 ESG principles promoting responsible steel production. A year on, ResponsibleSteel has now issued a total of 12 certificates covering 41 different sites. Currently, we have certified sites across 9 countries in Europe, North America, South America, and Australia. To add to this, we have a further 8 audits in the pipeline.

The ResponsibleSteel audit process is twofold: the first step is a self-assessment while the second is an audit carried out by an approved ResponsibleSteel certification body involving onsite visits and interviews with a wide range of stakeholders. This thorough and rigorous process reflects ResponsibleSteel’s multi-perspective approach and our dedication to ensuring that certified sites meet the carefully defined criteria set out in our standard.

As the steel industry’s first global multi-stakeholder standard and certification initiative, the site certifications awarded to ArcelorMittal last year were only the beginning. We are incredibly proud to see the increasing application of our standard globally and we are excited to continue our work to transform ResponsibleSteel’s vision to maximise steel’s contribution to a sustainable society into a reality.

A huge thank you to our members and other stakeholders for your continued support of our mission. We look forward to continuing with you on this important journey!

To learn more about our standard and the certification process, click here.