The Role of Steel in Today’s Society
Steel production is essential to modern day life, and it comes with major environmental, societal, and economic impacts, both good and bad. The World Steel Institute estimates that the steel sector alone is responsible for approximately eight percent of total global carbon dioxide emissions.
Major markets and steel’s largest players are demanding more comprehensive compliance and transparency from suppliers, often in the form of reporting. Complying with local, state, and federal legal obligations is no longer enough to meet the demands of customers, stakeholders, and society on a global scale.
Enter ResponsibleSteel™
ResponsibleSteel is the steel industry’s first global, multi-stakeholder standard and certification initiative dedicated to sustainability within the sector. Its mission is to maximize steel’s contribution to a more sustainable society through the cooperation of companies and stakeholders at all levels of the steel supply chain by providing a forum for discussion, collaboration, and designation.
The standard covers key ESG issues:
- Corporate Leadership
- Social, Environmental and Governance Management Systems
- Occupational Health and Safety
- Labor Rights
- Human Rights
- Local Communities
- Stakeholder Engagement and Communication
- Climate Change and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Noise, Emissions, Effluents and Waste
- Water Stewardship
- Biodiversity
- Closure and Decommissioning
What are the Benefits?
The ResponsibleSteel certification program will be of value to producers already maintaining high standards, by providing a competitive edge in the market. It will bring benefits to stakeholders and to the industry as a whole, by encouraging those who could operate more responsibly to raise their game.
Benefits of certified operations include:
- Responsibly source and produce steel to meet the sustainability requirements of your customers
- Set and achieve sourcing and production impact goals that protect natural resources such water usage reductions and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions
- Develop operational efficiencies, continually improve, and reduce risk within the supply chain
- A higher ESG market rating and lower ESG risk will appeal to investors
- Hold a reputation as a pioneer in the sustainable development of steel and encourage others to follow
- Ability to market your product(s) as sustainable, differentiating it from others is crucial particularly in consumer facing industries where sustainable initiatives are in high demand
Who should Certify and How?
This standard applies to operational steelmaking sites and those related to processing their raw materials or producing steel products. The standard follows a traditional certification process outlined below and can be integrated with other standards such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and/or ISO 45001.
Steps to Certification:
- Site Self-Assessment against the ResponsibleSteel Standard
- Stage 1 Audit – Desktop review of site documentation
- Stage 2 Audit – On-site visit
- Audit Reporting
- Certification decision and publication on the ResponsibleSteel website
- Surveillance audits
SRI and the Steel Industry
SRI was founded in 1991 as Steel Related Industries Quality System Registrar, a part of the Steel Industry Supplier Audit Program (SISAP). SRI quickly became an industry leader and one of the world’s largest registrars to metals and materials companies. Over the last 30 years, SRI participated in writing standards and introduced the value of third-party assurance to many industries. SRI’s roots are firmly planted in quality and sustainability within the steel industry.
Steel companies are major suppliers to, and customers of, other leading industrial sectors. As a committed member of the global supply chain, SRI offers metal and materials clients the assessment services they need to improve, compete, and succeed responsibly in the marketplace today. This includes a dedicated sustainability practice focusing on CSR/ESG performance.
Currently, SRI is a proud and active Associate Member of ResponsibleSteel™ and is in the process of becoming an approved certification body of the ResponsibleSteel™ Standard.
Call today to discuss ResponsibleSteel at 724-934-9000 or email at info@sriregistrar.com.