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
New report: How greater policy coherence can accelerate global steel decarbonisation
Steel is essential to modern economies, underpinning everything from buildings and transport to energy infrastructure and manufacturing. Yet the sector is also responsible for around 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, making its decarbonisation a critical component of achieving global climate goals.
Today, ResponsibleSteel has published a new report, Global Steel Decarbonisation: From complexity to coherence, examining how fragmented policy frameworks are creating barriers to the transition to low-emission steelmaking.
Across the world, governments are introducing policies designed to reduce emissions from steel production while maintaining competitiveness, supporting jobs and strengthening industrial capacity. While these objectives are often aligned in principle, they are increasingly being pursued through separate and sometimes incompatible policy frameworks.
The result is a growing patchwork of regulations, reporting requirements, emissions methodologies and product classifications that can increase complexity for producers, create uncertainty for investors and make it more difficult for markets to recognise and reward genuine decarbonisation progress.
As Annie Heaton, CEO of ResponsibleSteel, explains:
“Right now, policy fragmentation is slowing down the very transition it is meant to accelerate. Greater alignment is entirely achievable, and essential, if we are to unlock investment and deliver steel decarbonisation at the pace required.”
A global review of steel decarbonisation policy
The report provides a global review of steel decarbonisation policy, with a particular focus on the European Union and India, two of the world's largest steel producers and consumer markets.
It examines the expanding mix of policies shaping the transition, including trade measures, sustainable finance frameworks, public procurement requirements, green steel labelling initiatives and ESG-related regulations.
For example, the report unpacks how
While policy activity is accelerating in both regions, the report finds that many frameworks are built on different foundations. Diverging definitions of low-emission steel, inconsistent emissions accounting methodologies and varying approaches to recycled steel content can create friction across markets and weaken investment signals.
From complexity to coherence
The report argues that governments do not need to start from scratch. Instead, greater policy coherence can be achieved through stronger alignment between existing standards, certification systems and data requirements.
To support this, the report identifies a number of practical actions that policymakers can take:
- Establish more consistent approaches to measuring and reporting steel emissions.
- Reduce duplicated reporting requirements through greater recognition of independently verified data across jurisdictions.
- Develop common approaches to accounting for recycled and primary steel content, including the use of scrap-variable metrics.
- Strengthen traceability through credible chain-of-custody systems across steel supply chains.
- Better integrate environmental, social and governance considerations into steel decarbonisation policy frameworks.
Together, these measures can help create more transparent and competitive markets for low-emission steel, reward producers making genuine progress on decarbonisation and support the investment needed to accelerate the transition.
Download the report
Global Steel Decarbonisation: From complexity to coherence explores these challenges and opportunities in greater detail, providing practical recommendations for policymakers, industry stakeholders and investors seeking to support the transition to low-emission steel.
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ResponsibleSteel Forum 2027 to bring the global steel community to Abu Dhabi
ResponsibleSteel has announced that its flagship global Forum will take place in Abu Dhabi, UAE, from 16–18 March 2027, bringing together more than 400 leaders from across the iron and steel value chain to accelerate progress towards responsibly produced, low-emission steel.
Hosted with the support of Lead Sponsor EMSTEEL, the ResponsibleSteel Forum 2027 will provide a global platform for collaboration, bringing together stakeholders from across the steel value chain. The Forum will focus on tackling real-world challenges, advancing practical solutions and accelerating the actions needed to scale responsible, low-emission steel production, while strengthening the policy, investment and market frameworks that will enable the industry's transition.
The multi-day programme will feature keynote discussions, plenary sessions, practical working sessions, targeted roundtables and networking opportunities designed to encourage collaboration and knowledge sharing. Participants will include steelmakers, raw material suppliers, downstream buyers from sectors including automotive, construction and energy, alongside policymakers, financial institutions, trade unions and civil society organisations. Together, they will explore the challenges facing the sector and identify practical solutions that can help accelerate progress while recognising leadership and innovation across the industry.
The MENA region is becoming increasingly important to the global steel transition, and the ResponsibleSteel Forum 2027 will reflect that momentum by bringing the global steel community to Abu Dhabi. With access to renewable energy, emerging hydrogen capabilities and strong industrial ambition, the region is well positioned to play a leading role in the shift towards near-zero steel. The Forum will also serve as an important bridge between COP31 and COP32, helping shape the steel sector's contribution to international climate discussions.
The Forum will be global in scope, bringing together participants from a broad and diverse range of countries and regions. It reflects the international nature of the iron and steel value chain and the shared need for credible standards, enabling policy, investment and stronger market signals to support the transition to responsible steel production.
The programme will focus on moving from ambition to implementation, including:
- Advancing credible standards and certification for responsible steel
- Scaling near-zero emissions iron and steel production
- Strengthening demand signals and green procurement
- Unlocking finance and investment for transition technologies
- Ensuring a just and inclusive transition across the value chain
Further details on the programme and speakers will be announced in due course.
ResponsibleSteel CEO Annie Heaton said the Forum comes at a pivotal moment for the industry, as the global transition continues to reshape steel production and the role of clean energy infrastructure becomes increasingly important.
"At a time when the global context continues to shift, we are acutely aware of the importance of clean energy infrastructure and the growing role of sunbelt economies in enabling the transition to low emission iron and steel. Against that backdrop, the ResponsibleSteel Forum 2027 will bring together leaders from across the value chain for what promises to be a timely global conversation on the future of responsible steel. By convening this multistakeholder community in the UAE, we aim to turn shared ambition into coordinated and coherent action and accelerate progress towards a more responsible, low-emission industry."
ResponsibleSteel Chair Gerry Tidd said the Forum reflects the organisation's founding belief that lasting progress depends on collaboration across the steel value chain and between a broad range of stakeholders.
"ResponsibleSteel was founded more than a decade ago, on the belief that real sustainability in steel requires collective action by multi-stakeholders. At a time of rapid technological and economic challenge for the sector, ResponsibleSteel plans to host the ResponsibleSteel Forum 2027 where we bring all our members and stakeholders together to address the near- and long-term future of sustainable steel.
The Forum 2027 will be held in the MENA region and hosted by leading steelmaker, EMSTEEL. The Forum will convene a worldwide collection of leaders from across our dynamic industry. It's a Forum not to be missed."
For EMSTEEL, hosting the Forum marks an important milestone for both the company and the wider region. Group CEO Eng. Saeed Ghumran Al Remeithi said the event reflects Abu Dhabi's growing role as an international centre for industrial transformation while providing an opportunity for stakeholders to align around practical solutions for the future of steel.
"Hosting the ResponsibleSteel Forum in Abu Dhabi for the first time in the MENA region is a strategic milestone for EMSTEEL, the UAE, and the global steel industry. It reflects Abu Dhabi's growing role as an international centre for industrial transformation and climate-focused dialogue, while reinforcing EMSTEEL's leadership in advancing responsible steel production. As decarbonisation continues to reshape operating models, investment decisions, and long-term competitiveness, this Forum will provide a critical platform to align global stakeholders around practical solutions that support a more resilient and sustainable steel sector."
Join us in Abu Dhabi
Registration will open soon. If you'd like to receive updates and be among the first to hear when registration opens, register your interest below.
Sponsorship opportunities
A range of sponsorship opportunities is available for organisations looking to showcase their leadership and engage with an international audience of industry decision-makers.
If you're interested in sponsoring the ResponsibleSteel Forum 2027, please contact alobo@responsiblesteel.org
The June edition of the ResponsibleSteel Newsletter is out!
June was an eventful month. ResponsibleSteel took part in London Climate Action Week, marking our tenth anniversary with a well-attended Member Reception and a productive Finance Working Group focused on how the steel industry can unlock transition finance.
In this newsletter, we share reflections from our CEO, Annie Heaton, on ten years of ResponsibleSteel and introduce our updated strategy for navigating a changing economic and political landscape. We also highlight progress on global interoperability following a workshop with the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA), welcome TÜV India as an approved certification body, and share insights from a new UNIDO report on steel decarbonisation technologies.
Highlights include:
- Celebrating 10 years of ResponsibleSteel at our Member Reception during London Climate Action Week.
- Key outcomes from our Finance Working Group on enabling transition finance for the steel sector.
- Progress towards global interoperability following a workshop with CISA in Shanghai.
- Annie Heaton's webinar 'Green Steel, Standards and Synchronicity' as part of the IOM3 Cavendish Lecture Series.
- The approval of TÜV India as a ResponsibleSteel certification body.
- Two opportunities to join the ResponsibleSteel team: China Programme Lead and Communications Lead.
- Upcoming ResponsibleSteel audits.
Read the full June newsletter here.
