Steel Mills

USS first to get nod to sell 'ResponsibleSteel' items at Big River

Written by Ethan Bernard

September 25, 2024

U.S. Steel is the first steelmaker in the world qualified to sell its products as “ResponsibleSteel Certified Steel” from its Big River Steel operation in Osceola, Ark.

The Pittsburgh-based company noted it received the first ResponsibleSteel Site Certification in North America in 2022.

“The rigorous requirements needed for ResponsibleSteel Certified Steel represent a new gold standard for responsible steel manufacturing on a global scale,” U.S. Steel President and CEO David B. Burritt said in a statement on Tuesday.

According to the statement, ResponsibleSteel is a “global multi-stakeholder standards body” that has enabled certification at the site level and now at the product level.

Burritt remarked that the certification “gives customers and stakeholders confidence that Big River is on the path to near zero (carbon emissions) and demonstrates that we are using responsible practices across our supply chain.”

The ResponsibleSteel International Production Standard, established in 2022, uses environmental, social, and governance requirements across its “13 Principles.” These include over 500 criteria for the responsible sourcing and production of steel.

“Our transparency around decarbonization and collaborative approach with our suppliers and community all play a role in what it means to have truly ‘sustainable’ steel products for our customers,” Dan Brown, SVP of advanced technology steelmaking for USS and COO of Big River Steel Works, said in the statement.

Ethan Bernard

Ethan Bernard is managing editor for Steel Market Update. He previously worked for American Metal Market as a copy editor in the New York office for two years, starting in 2008. Later, he copy edited AMM’s monthly magazine on a freelance basis from 2015 until 2017. With experience in financial copywriting and textbook publishing, he holds a BA in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley, and an MFA. in Creative Writing from New York University. He can be reached at ethan@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7871.

Read more from Ethan Bernard

Latest in Steel Mills