Big River attains ResponsibleSteel designation

Pittsburgh-based United States Steel Corp. reports that its Big River Steel Works operating unit has become the first steel company in the world to qualify to sell its products as ResponsibleSteel Certified Steel.

The Big River facility in Osceola, Arkansas, is a high recycled-content electric arc furnace (EAF) mill that in 2022 received ResponsibleSteel Site Certification.

Australia-based ResponsibleSteel is a global multistakeholder standard and certification initiative working to accelerate the industry’s transition to net zero while ensuring consumers can be confident that the steel they use has been sourced and produced responsibly.

“This is an extraordinary accomplishment,” U. S. Steel president and CEO David B. Burritt says. “The rigorous requirements needed for ResponsibleSteel Certified Steel represent a new gold standard for responsible steel manufacturing on a global scale.

“This certification gives customers and stakeholders confidence that Big River is on the path to near zero and demonstrates that we are using responsible practices across our supply chain. Being the first steel company in the world to achieve ResponsibleSteel Certified Steel demonstrates our strong resolve to build a more sustainable steel industry in the U.S. and across the world.”

The Certified Steel designation requires both Site Certification and additional conformity with two key components: progress on the responsible sourcing of input materials and site-level decarbonization.

“ResponsibleSteel employs a comprehensive approach to its certification standards and that is evident in the work we do here at Big River Steel,” Big River Chief Operating Officer Dan Brown says. “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.”

Although a U.S. Steel environmental product declaration earlier this decade for the Big River mill mentions a recycled metals use rate of up to 90 percent, ResponsibleSteel and U.S. Steel point to an iron ore-related example in the news release announcing the certification.

“For example, it is more sustainable to obtain the input materials closest to the facility with a known supply chain source,” the news release says. “Iron ore pellets are mined and produced at U.S. Steel’s Minnesota Ore Operations, which serve as raw materials for pig iron production at U.S. Steel’s Gary Works in northwest Indiana, which then becomes a key input in the steelmaking process at U.S. Steel’s Big River.”