We’re shaping a more ResponsibleSteel industry.
We have the opportunity to do things differently.
ResponsibleSteel is a global, not-for-profit organisation created to maximise steel’s contribution to a sustainable world. Working collaboratively with our members, we have developed an independent standards and certification programme for steel via a process that uses the ISEAL Codes of Good Practice as a reference. Together, we are setting the global standard for responsibly produced net-zero steel.
We’re at a pivotal moment in the steel industry.
According to ResponsibleSteel's calculations using data from RMI and the International Energy Agency (IEA), the steelmaking process, from the extraction of raw materials to the production of steel, accounts for 10% of global GHG emissions. We face a collective challenge to transform the industry, reducing global emissions while ensuring a just transition for workers and local communities.
We have over 160 members working to deliver on our mission to drive responsible steel production.
According to the IEA's Net Zero Emissions Scenario, we need to reduce steel industry emissions by at least 90% by 2050, compared to 2022.
We have over 90 ResponsibleSteel certified sites globally.
Over 260,000 workers are covered by ResponsibleSteel certification.
Over 30% of furnaces covered by ResponsibleSteel certification are EAFs.
This is the future of steel.
Our members are at the heart of our work.
ResponsibleSteel’s membership consists of representatives from across the steel value chain, including businesses, NGOs, trade associations, and other organisations with an interest in our mission. This means our standards are uniquely shaped by multiple perspectives, and their adoption requires the support of both business and civil society members. We encourage organisations globally to join us to create lasting impact for people and the planet.
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We have certified sites across the globe.
Latest news & events
How should steel products get credit for cutting emissions? Final Principle 10 workstream begins 5 November
ResponsibleSteel’s Decarbonisation Progress Levels show how far steel production has gone in cutting its climate impact. Today, they are based on a whole steelworks’ average emissions.
That average encourages sites to improve as a whole. But steelmakers rarely change everything at once. A new, cleaner production line often runs alongside older equipment, and its progress disappears into the site average.
From 5 November, a working group will explore whether, and how, sites could make claims for individual products or production lines, so that cleaner steel can be marketed as such as early as possible. It will look at what is assessed, how emissions are shared between products, what safeguards and tracking are needed, and how claims are communicated.
In a 2025 survey, 68% of responding ResponsibleSteel members supported this, provided strong safeguards are in place. Proposed safeguards include:
- the whole site must be certified
- the whole site must first reach the first progress level
- the approach would end on a set date (for example 2035), as a bridge through the transition
- no product could claim lower emissions than the site’s best technology can physically achieve
- sites could only claim as much low-emission steel as they actually produce
Renewable energy purchases could play a limited, tightly tracked role, but carbon offset credits would not count.
The group’s input will feed directly into version 3.0 of the ResponsibleSteel International Production Standard and its guidance and annexes. The aim is recognition that is fair, credible and comparable, without opening loopholes.
ResponsibleSteel members are welcome to join. Anyone can request the detailed proposal to give feedback, or ask questions, at standards@responsiblesteel.org.
Call for Members: Working Group on Chain of Custody Standard and Claims & Logo Use Guidelines Revision
ResponsibleSteel is forming a new Working Group to guide the revision of our Chain of Custody (CoC) Standard and the Claims & Logo Use Guidelines.
Robust Chain of Custody and Claims Guidelines are essential to ResponsibleSteel’s certification programme, ensuring credible claims for products originating from ResponsibleSteel certified sites.
This Working Group will focus on:
- Enhancing Value & Market Growth: Revise the CoC Standard so that it supports credible, substantiated and third-party verified claims on steel from ResponsibleSteel certified sites, adds value across the steel value chain, and grows the market for certified steel.
- Strengthening Claims: Revise the Claims and Logo Use Guidelines, including the claim rules and oversight needed for credible and legally compliant product claims, and add new claim types.
Meeting Schedule & Next Steps
Meetings will take place between late November 2026 and Q1/Q2 2027. Your expertise will help ensure our standards remain robust, practical, and responsive to industry needs.
- Learn More: Review the full Terms of Reference for detailed work plan.
- Get Involved: Interested parties (including steelmakers, processors, traders, buyers, certification bodies or civil society), please complete the Registration Form by 13 November 2026.
If you have any questions or would like a discussion before registering, please reach out to Margaret Ho at mho@responsiblesteel.org.
The September edition of the ResponsibleSteel Newsletter is out!
September marks an important milestone for ResponsibleSteel with the launch of the public consultation on proposed revisions to the International Production Standard. Stakeholders are now invited to review and provide feedback on proposals relating to greenhouse gas emissions, just transition, regulatory alignment, annual leave requirements and enabling product claims, helping to shape the future direction of responsible steel production.
In this edition, we share insights from our recent London Interoperability Roundtable, explore why identifying low-emissions steel requires looking beyond a single GWP number, reflect on discussions at Climate Week NYC, and highlight opportunities to get involved with ResponsibleSteel.
Highlights include:
- Launch of the public consultation on proposed revisions to the ResponsibleSteel International Production Standard
- Insights from the London Interoperability Roundtable
- Reflections from Climate Week NYC
- Webinar on EPD-DPL interoperability and comparable GHG emissions data
- ResponsibleSteel vacancies
- Upcoming ResponsibleSteel audits and events
Read the full September newsletter here.
