BlueScope and
ResponsibleSteel certification

BlueScope employees and our stakeholders have worked extensively during the last two years to achieve ResponsibleSteel™ certification at our Port Kembla Steelworks (PKSW) in Australia. Certification is a significant milestone in this important asset's and our company's whole business sustainability journey. We continue to implement improvements and learn from the process designed to strengthen our business, industry and local communities. 

Port Kembla Steelworks achieves certification

ResponsibleSteel™ certification creates a valuable point of difference for the Port Kembla Steelworks, the first site in the Asia Pacific region, and the fourth steelmaker in the world to obtain certification. Achieved in early 2022, we believe that the recognition reflects the quality of our operations and how positively we seek to engage with our stakeholders, in particular our customers, suppliers, employees and our communities. 

You can see the PKSW certification document and associated public summary audit report on our Awards and Certificates page. These documents are also available on ResponsibleSteel's website page listing issued certificates.

The independent, third-party site certification process has involved multiple teams across our business and ensured that BlueScope is a world leader in steel sector sustainability. The rigorous audit and assessment of BlueScope’s performance against the 12 principles of the ResponsibleSteel™ Standard has covered a range of environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria, including:     

• Occupational health and safety 
• Environmental aspects – air emissions, noise, water stewardship, waste and biodiversity 
• Human rights and labour rights 
• Climate change and greenhouse gas emissions 
• Stakeholder engagement, local communities, and communications

Learn more about Port Kembla Steelworks’ certification in our News story and launch video

What is ResponsibleSteel™

ResponsibleSteel™ is the global steel industry's multi-stakeholder sustainability standard and certification program, designed to ensure that customers, stakeholders and consumers can be confident that the steel they use has been sourced and produced responsibly.

ResponsibleSteel’s vision is that steel’s contribution to a sustainable society is maximised. Its mission is to enhance the responsible sourcing, production, use and recycling of steel by: 

• Providing a multi-stakeholder forum to build trust and achieve consensus; 
• Developing standards, certification and related tools; 
• Driving positive change through the recognition and use of responsible steel.

The ResponsibleSteel™ Standard is designed to support the responsible production of steel, as a tool for the achievement of Responsible Steel’s vision. 

Principles:

• There are 12 principles in the ResponsibleSteel™ Standard that cover a wide range of sustainability topics such as health and safety, labour and human rights, climate change, water and supply chain. ​

The certification process is staged:

• Each of the 12 principles are audited to ensure the high standard defined by ResponsibleSteel™ is being met.​
• The standard requires BSL to have the appropriate policies, procedures, management plans, risk assessments, objectives & targets, reporting in place.​
• Engagement of our community and stakeholders is a key aspect of the standard.​
• Audit days are determined based on the complexity of the site and is dependent on the number of employees. The audit occurs over 2 stages.​
• In the Stage 1 Audit the certification body will identify areas of concern and determine if a Site is ready for Stage 2. This can be done remotely.​
• Stage 2 is an on-site audit. The audit process involves interviewing a number of employees and external stakeholders.​
• Responsible Steel may assign an independent representative to ‘witness’ the Stage 2 audits.​​​​​​​​

Businesses from every part of the steel supply chain, civil society groups, associations, and other organisations with an interest in a sustainable steel industry from anywhere in the world are welcome to join. To view the ResponsibleSteel™ membership list visit https://www.responsiblesteel.org/about/members-and-associates/

BlueScope and ResponsibleSteel™

For more than 10 years, BlueScope has played a foundational role in the establishment of ResponsibleSteel™, helping to realise our shared vision for a sustainable steel industry. We have long held the view that certification can give our customers confidence in the environmental, social and governance performance of our steelmaking facilities. We have proudly played an active role in the development, collaborative engagement and promotion of the Standard.

Next steps/What’s next for ResponsibleSteel™

As uptake of the ResponsibleSteel™ Site Certification continues at pace, we continue to partner in the development of further ResponsibleSteel™ Standards for Certified Steel, addressing key challenges in the greenhouse gas emissions performance and responsible sourcing.

Our role in the development and application of the ResponsibleSteel Standard is an important part of how we strive to create strength along the steel value chain.

What certification means for industry

ResponsibleSteel™ aims to provide specifiers and building practitioners with confidence that they are specifying steel from a facility that has demonstrated responsible sourcing and production practices.

Learn more about our Product Specifications.