ArcelorMittal plans to roll out a new sustainability program across Europe, aiming to secure ResponsibleSteel site certification for all its ArcelorMittal Europe - Flat Products sites.

The 12-month program will enable each site to prove that the company’s production processes meet rigorously defined standards across a broad range of social, environmental and governance criteria.

ResponsibleSteel is the industry’s first global multi-stakeholder standard and certification initiative, dedicated to defining and promoting responsible practice, aimed at improving:

• Climate change and greenhouse gas emissions
• Water stewardship and biodiversity
• Human rights & labor rights
• Community relations and business integrity

The standard is based on 12 principles with a variety of criteria and underlying requirements. To be awarded with ResponsibleSteel certification, each site will undergo a third-party audit with an independent Certification Committee making the final certification decision.

The first wave of auditing includes sites in Belgium, Germany, Spain and France with others to follow. After the initial phase, further ArcelorMittal sites around the world will be part of the program.

In 2020, ResponsibleSteel will launch a standard for the certification of steel products, which will include stringent requirements for raw materials supply chain. ArcelorMittal will continue to play an active role in developing this aspect of the program.

Steel is the world’s most widely used material and those who use it in the transport, automotive, infrastructure, packaging, construction, energy and white goods sectors have a growing expectation that the materials they work with are responsibly sourced and produced. ResponsibleSteel, which is the world’s first responsible sourcing certification scheme for steel, aims to meet these expectations.

ResponsibleSteel is working in partnership with IRMA (The Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance), TSM (the Mining Association of Canada’s ‘Towards Sustainable Mining’ program) as well as other standards initiatives in the mining sector, to assure purchasers that all iron and steel is responsibly sourced throughout their supply chains.