We’re shaping a more ResponsibleSteel industry.

As the global decarbonisation effort has advanced, actors in the mining and steel sectors are under pressure to transform production processes, supply chains, and energy systems to meet climate goals. But alongside these changes lies an essential question: how do we ensure that the transition to a low-carbon economy is fair for the workers, communities, and regions that depend on these industries?

ResponsibleSteel and the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) set out to tackle this question in a joint project bringing together perspectives from across the mining and steel value chains. Together, in a recently published report, 'Driving just transitions in the steel and mining sectors', we explore how voluntary sustainability standards can help guide and support just transitions in two of the world’s most critical industries.

Putting people at the centre of the transition process

One of the strongest and most consistent key messages from the project and stakeholder engagement was the need to keep people at the centre of transition processes. Decarbonisation is often discussed in terms of technology, emissions targets, and industrial transformation. Yet transitions also reshape livelihoods, local economies, and social structures.

The report underscores that strong and inclusive planning is essential to avoid leaving workers and affected communities behind. This is further reflected in stakeholder perspectives, with one of the rights holders noting the disconnect between discussions around just transition and lived experience: “Just Transition is a confusing term. It does not reflect the realities we face.” Throughout the project, stakeholders repeatedly highlighted the importance of ensuring that transitions must not only be fast, but fair. Workers, Indigenous peoples, and affected communities must have a meaningful voice in decisions that shape their futures.

This reinforced an important insight: “just transition is not only about managing economic change. It is also about justice, rights, and participation.”

The power of social dialogue

Another key learning from the project was the central role of social dialogue. Across interviews and workshops, participants emphasised the need for ongoing engagement between workers, communities, companies, governments, and other stakeholders.

Early and inclusive dialogue is particularly critical when major changes are being planned, such as mine closures, technological shifts, or new supply chains. As one stakeholder reflected during the project, standards can help by requiring processes that support “stakeholder engagement and planning,” rather than defining rigid requirements.

Social dialogue is therefore not simply a consultation exercise. It involves sharing information, building capacity among stakeholders, and creating spaces where different perspectives can meaningfully shape decisions.

Voluntary sustainability standards can play an important role by creating frameworks that encourage transparency, accountability, and structured engagement.

One of the central questions of the project was how standards systems such as ResponsibleSteel and IRMA can contribute to just transitions in practice.

The Just Transition Framework for Voluntary Sustainability Standards

The focus of this project was the question of how VSSs such as ResponsibleSteel and IRMA can best contribute to driving just transitions in practice.

The project confirmed that many elements of existing standards already address issues relevant to just transition, including human rights due diligence, occupational health and safety, grievance mechanisms, and environmental management. At the same time, the project highlighted areas where further development may be needed. These include supporting worker retraining and skills development, strengthening value-chain-wide due diligence, and ensuring equitable access to the benefits of the low-carbon transition.

To help understand and identify the key elements for a just transition, the project undertook a literature review, mapping exercises of existing standards, key informant interviews, and two in-person workshops. Each activity provided valuable insights and information, which together formed the foundation of a framework that defines principles related to human rights, social equity, inclusive governance, and protections for workers and communities.

Significantly, the framework is not intended to be prescriptive or define minimum requirements. Instead, it serves as a reference point to help VSSs integrate just transition considerations in a way that reflects and is shaped by the realities of each region, industry, and community.

The value of collaboration

Transitions in mining and steel do not happen in isolation. They unfold across interconnected supply chains, regulatory systems, and communities. As a result, no single actor can drive meaningful progress alone.

Achieving a just transition requires coordination between many different actors, including companies, workers and unions, governments, civil society, investors, and standards systems. Collaboration between standards organisations themselves can also play an important role by aligning approaches, sharing knowledge, and creating stronger incentives for responsible practices across industries.

The concept of just transition continues to evolve. While there is growing recognition of its importance across governments, industries, and civil society, there is still uncertainty about what implementation looks like in practice and what responsibilities different actors should carry.

This project represents a strong joint effort with key stakeholders and an important step toward understanding how voluntary sustainability standards can contribute to that conversation.

Achieving just transitions will require sustained commitment, continuous learning, and inclusive engagement. Standards alone cannot deliver just transitions, but they can provide practical tools and shared frameworks that help stakeholders navigate complex transitions.

For ResponsibleSteel and IRMA, this work reaffirms our shared commitment to ensuring that the transformation of heavy industries supports not only climate goals, but also fairness, dignity, and opportunity for the workers and communities most affected by change.

Read ResponsibleSteel's and IRMA's joint report, 'Driving just transitions in the mining and steel sectors' here.

This project was made possible thanks to a grant from the ISEAL Innovations Fund, which is supported by the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research EAER State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO and UK International Development.

The March edition of the ResponsibleSteel Newsletter is out!

This month, we share the publication of a major joint report with Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) – the first collaboration between voluntary standards in the mining and steel sectors focused on a just transition. With these industries each responsible for around 10% of global energy-related emissions and supporting millions of workers and communities, the report highlights the need to accelerate fair and inclusive approaches to decarbonisation.

We also share the latest developments from our interoperability work with CISA and Low Emission Steel Standard (LESS), an upcoming guest webinar from RMI, and opportunities to join our growing Membership and Programmes teams.

In this month’s newsletter, you’ll find:

- Our just transition report and key recommendations

- Updates on interoperability with CISA and LESS

- Welcome to our newest member

- Four new vacancies across ResponsibleSteel

- International Women’s Day team spotlight

… and more.

Read the full March newsletter here.

As global emissions continue to rise, the need to rapidly scale up clean solutions and phase out fossil fuels to align with a 1.5°C pathway has never been greater. For the steel industry, one of the world’s most complex and emissions-intensive sectors, this raises critical questions around how progress should be driven, assessed, and reported transparently.

Real change is reflected not only in boardrooms and corporate strategies, but in the day-to-day operations and decisions at individual production sites. Yet the granular detail that truly reflects the asset-level investments happening at site level is often missing. Without a comprehensive and consistent approach to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions assessment, comparing progress across sites, regions, and production routes becomes nearly impossible. That’s why global standards, and the rigour to apply them consistently, are essential to understanding where the industry stands today and how far it still needs to go.

Principle 10 of ResponsibleSteel’s International Production Standard, which addresses GHG emissions and climate change, is ideally placed to assess the credibility and implementation of a steelmaker’s fossil fuel phase-out strategy. It provides independent, third-party verification of climate performance, demanding a holistic approach to fulfilling climate commitments and effectively bridging the gap between corporate pledges and site-level action.

Certification against ResponsibleSteel’s International Production Standard supports steel procurers and specifiers, financiers, and policymakers among others, by providing verifiable evidence that a steelmaker has, and is effectively implementing, a credible strategy to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 or earlier.

Integrating renewable energy is increasingly central to the business case for decarbonised steelmaking. This has formed a major part of discussions with ResponsibleSteel stakeholders and was a key theme at ResponsibleSteel’s policy convenings in Delhi and Brussels last year. ResponsibleSteel members are also already beginning to deploy increasing amounts of renewable energy in the production of steel. But to build clean industries of the future, this needs both augmentation and acceleration through both public and private sector initiatives. An example is the work of a member of ResponsibleSteel, We Mean Business Coalition (WMBC), which launched a ‘Fossil to Clean’ campaign, working with companies to phase out fossil fuels by 2040 and to advocate for a well-managed and just transition globally.*

For Certified Steel, ResponsibleSteel applies a fair and consistent approach to calculating GHG emissions, including emissions associated with renewable energy use. Our methodology incorporates specific safeguards for the use of market-based electricity instruments like Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) and Guarantees of Origin (GOs), as well as bio-based fuels, as set out in our  “Fundamentals for GHG Emissions Accounting and Classification”.

As part of our mission - to be a driving force in the socially and environmentally responsible production of near-zero steel -  we have mapped the requirements of the Production Standard against the Fossil to Clean campaign’s focus areas and developed a checklist which can be used as a tool for steelmakers to not only demonstrate alignment with the a ‘Fossil to Clean’ campaign, but also for broader industry stakeholders to recognise and track progress towards a clean industrial transformation.

Decarbonisation and Fossil Fuel Phase-Out Checklist

The checklist is available for download here.

Advancing expectations to demonstrate commitment to climate action

ResponsibleSteel is currently in the process of revising Principle 10’s approach to climate transition plans, under the three guiding principles of ambition, feasibility and simplicity. Based on recent stakeholder consultations, including extensive meetings with a member-based Working Group and independent Technical Advisory Group, Version 3.0 of the Production Standard will likely see a reshaping of the related requirements at corporate (criterion 10.1) and site (criterion 10.5) levels to strengthen credibility.

Credible climate transition plans, as defined by ResponsibleSteel, must include several components to ensure a comprehensive plan, assessment and ongoing management of emissions that balances decarbonisation ambition and investment feasibility, both in the near and long-term. The strategy must be driven by the corporation, cascade down to production sites, and integrate feedback loops to ensure decarbonisation outcomes are realised over time.

The credibility framework for climate transition plans is presented in the following figure:

Beyond the presented credibility framework, the revision of Principle 10 will likely include a more holistic and systematic approach to climate transition plans, including improved clarity in how to demonstrate corporate-level ambition, greater alignment across emissions measurement methodologies, and clearer expectations for material scope 3 emissions inclusion.

ResponsibleSteel holds steelmakers accountable whilst celebrating decarbonisation progress

ResponsibleSteel continues to push the industry towards more ambitious decarbonisation outcomes, not only through the Production Standard’s Core requirements, but also through the Decarbonisation Progress Levels, a market mechanism for the trade of low- and near-zero-emissions steel products.

ResponsibleSteel Certification gives civil society organisations, steel buyers, financial institutions, and policymakers the confidence that a steelmaker has a credible transition plan in place, and that meaningful progress is being made towards its implementation. Now, this checklist provides steelmakers with another practical tool to effectively demonstrate progress on decarbonisation and fossil fuel phase-out.

*WMBC’s ‘Fossil to Clean’ campaign aims to catalyse and guide the shift from fossil fuels to clean solutions, calling on companies to phase out fossil fuel use (especially coal); electrify operations where possible; switch to 100% renewable electricity; eliminate new fossil fuel infrastructure; align climate action with a 1.5°C pathway; and use purchasing power and policy advocacy to accelerate the transition. We Mean Business funded ResponsibleSteel’s policy project in 2025.