

Harsco Environmental joins ResponsibleSteel™
ResponsibleSteel welcomes Harsco Environmental as a new Member. Harsco Environmental recovers and recycles metal, and repurposes by-products into value-added eco products.
At over 145 sites in more than 30 countries, Harsco Environmental is Making a World of Difference™ for customers across the globe. Harsco is committed to leading the industry into a more sustainable future. The company delivers environmental products and services to help its customers transition to low carbon and circular economies.
Through its shift in focus toward an environmental platform, Harsco now views every customer’s need through the lens of sustainability. In pursuing its own environmental goals, Harsco in turn aims to help its customers meet theirs, through innovative and highly-effective by-product management and mitigation solutions.
Cope Willis, Vice President, Harsco Sustainability and Environmental Solutions, said: “We are pleased to join ResponsibleSteel and to have the opportunity to partner with our global steel customers and other key stakeholders to support the implementation of sustainability standards for steel production. This collaboration is another step in Harsco’s continuing efforts to lead the steel industry into a more sustainable future.”
Matthew Wenban-Smith, Executive Director of ResponsibleSteel, said: “Harsco Environmental is a great addition to our membership, and we welcome its focus on helping customers transition to low carbon and circular economies.”


Forum II builds momentum for responsible steel production
Over 100 people involved in the global steel supply chain gathered at ResponsibleSteel’s Forum II, to collaborate on finding solutions to the challenges currently facing the steel industry.
The event was hosted by ResponsibleSteel Founding Member BlueScope Steel in Wollongong, Australia, from 1-3 December. It included the official launch of the ResponsibleSteel Standard, the world’s first international, multi-stakeholder standard for responsible production for steel making and processing. Steel companies from Europe and Australia publicly committed to having their sites certified, with some as early as the first half of 2020.
There are now over 50 Members of ResponsibleSteel, with a good representation across industry and civil society. At the Forum, ResponsibleSteel welcomed new Members Anglo American, Carport, Clean Air Task Force, Harsco and Lendlease, and new Associate Members ACRS (Australasian Certification Authority for Reinforcing and Structural Steels certification), GUTcert GmbH, HERA (Heavy Engineering Research Association), RTQMS (Real Time Quality Management Services), Sustainable Steel Council, and United Certification Systems.
Of significant note is the first construction organisation – Lendlease, an international property and infrastructure group – which called on its peers, clients and competitors to follow suit and join ResponsibleSteel, and mining company – Anglo American – which has committed to assess all of its operations against rigorous third party certification processes.
ResponsibleSteel was honoured to have Edwin Basson, Director General of the World Steel Association (worldsteel), deliver the keynote address on the opening morning and participate in an open interview and Q&A session. In his speech, Edwin Basson recognised the unique and important role that ResponsibleSteel plays as the only global multi-stakeholder standard and certification initiative, and noted that the overall objectives of ResponsibleSteel align extremely well with those of worldsteel. In an interview with Matthew Wenban-Smith, Executive Director, ResponsibleSteel, areas of potential collaboration between the two organisations were discussed, with a commitment to outline priority activities in key geographies and specific issues for 2020.
Also present at Forum II were three existing mining standards certification bodies – IRMA, MAC TSM and Bettercoal. It was agreed that there should be increasing collaboration between ResponsibleSteel and these organisations to create effective ways of better linking with these programmes to drive value for miners, steelmakers and stakeholders.
As well as three days of discussions, panels and networking, many attendees took the opportunity to join a walking tour to see Australia’s only quench and temper steel manufacturing facility, at BlueScope Steel’s Port Kembla Steelworks.


Opportunity to participate in ResponsibleSteel™ Working Groups
The launch of the first ResponsibleSteel Standard was a major milestone on ResponsibleSteel’s journey. It marked the point at which steelmaking sites, as well as upstream and downstream processors, could start to prepare for certification. With the approval of the ResponsibleSteel Assurance Manual, and Implementation Instructions, the ResponsibleSteel programme will become operational.
But the ResponsibleSteel system is not complete. The first version of the Standard provides the basis for sites to claim that they are ResponsibleSteel certified. It does not provide them or their customers with the basis to make any claims relating to the social or environmental conformity of their steel products with ResponsibleSteel standards. ResponsibleSteel is convening three working groups to reach this next, critical stage in 2020.
One working group will focus on defining the requirements for the responsible sourcing of raw materials. What are ResponsibleSteel’s criteria for recognising mine-level assurance programmes? What procedures does a site have to have in place, and what level of performance does it have to meet, to ensure that its supplies of raw materials are responsibly sourced?
A second working group will define requirements related to the measurement and reporting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions intensity. Version 1.0 of the ResponsibleSteel Standard is essentially forward-looking, focussing on company- and site-level commitments and planning to reduce GHG emissions in line with the achievement of the goals of the Paris Agreement. But the ResponsibleSteel system needs to recognise and reward performance, as well as commitment. To do this requires that all ResponsibleSteel certified sites measure and report their GHG emissions intensity consistently, so that there is a level playing field for claims about their performance irrespective of the location of a site, or of the technology it uses. This will be a major focus of the ResponsibleSteel GHG Working Group.
The third working group will focus on the kinds of claims that certified sites should be able to make about the steel products they produce, ensuring that the needs of downstream users, including those from the automotive, infrastructure and construction sectors are met, and that demand for responsibly sourced, low-carbon steel rewards performance and supports the achievement of ResponsibleSteel’s mission: to maximise the steel sector’s contribution to a sustainable society.
The three working groups will be led and coordinated by the ResponsibleSteel Secretariat and overseen by the ResponsibleSteel Board Standards and Assurance Committee. Each working group will include both civil society and business representation, with around 12 people on each, selected to cover key stakeholder perspectives and interests. Agendas, papers and minutes will be circulated to a broader reference group, to expand the range and number of stakeholders who are able to contribute to the discussions. Draft proposals will be published for formal stakeholder review in line with the ResponsibleSteel Standard Development Procedures, before a formal membership vote is sought on any requirements for a new ResponsibleSteel Standard.
The working groups are expected to meet separately between February and May 2020, and then to meet together in a joint session in association with a ResponsibleSteel Members Meeting in June. More details will be published soon.
If you are interested in taking part in one or more working groups, and/or would like to be included on the broader reference group, please contact George Deslandes at gdeslandes@responsiblesteel.org as soon as possible, and by 15th January 2020 at the latest.
Photo credit: worldsteel image library