U.S. Steel Corp. earned the world’s first certification for ResponsibleSteel Certified Steel at its Big River Steel Works facility in Arkansas.

The ResponsibleSteel International Production Standard has environmental, social and governance requirements. It includes over 500 criteria for the sourcing and production of steel. Certified Steel requires site certification, responsibly sourcing materials and site-level decarbonization.

“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,” said David Burritt, U.S. Steel president and CEO, in a press release. “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 United States and across the world.”

The Certified Steel standard is constructed to encourage decarbonization progress at the site and to drive responsible sourcing and supply chain operations.

“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 said. Brown is senior vice president of advanced technology steelmaking for U. S. Steel and chief operating officer for Big River.

U. S. Steel’s Big River achieved Certified Steel in part by demonstrating sustainability in its operations. Big River obtains the input materials closest to the facility, which is more sustainable. Iron ore pellets are mined and produced at U. S. Steel’s Minnesota Ore Operations. The pellets serve as raw materials for pig iron production at U. S. Steel’s Gary Works, which is then used in the steelmaking process at Big River.

“ResponsibleSteel congratulates U. S. Steel on this significant accomplishment – the first-of-a-kind across the global industry,” Annie Heaton, ResponsibleSteel CEO, said. “Today this news sends a clear message to the market: progress towards responsible ‘green steel’ is being achieved and can be most credibly benchmarked.”

Pittsburgh-based United States Steel Corp. was founded in 1901. The company serves the automotive, construction, appliance, energy, containers and packaging industries. U.S. Steel has an annual raw steelmaking capability of 22.4 million net tons, with operations across the U.S. and in Central Europe.