Bettercoal joins ResponsibleSteel as Associate Member

Bettercoal today announced that it has joined ResponsibleSteel™ as Associate Member. ResponsibleSteel™ is a global sustainability standards-setting and certification initiative that brings together organisations in the steel value chain and civil society to build consensus on what constitutes ‘responsible steel’. ResponsibleSteel™ was incorporated in January 2016 and is currently working with its members and other stakeholders to develop the ResponsibleSteel Standard for finalisation in 2018/2019. ResponsibleSteel™ brings together major sectors of the steel product life cycle including mining, scrap, coke making, blast furnace and electric arc furnace production, downstream processing and fabrication, procurement, use, re-use and recycling.

The primary objectives of ResponsibleSteel™ are to define and promote responsibly sourced and produced steel, in order to:

• Allow steel producers to meet the sustainability needs of their customers.
• Improve responsible sourcing in the steel supply chain and reduce supply chain risk.
• Enable leading producers to promote steel as a responsible material.

Matthew Dransfield, Managing Director ResponsibleSteel™, said: “We are delighted to welcome Bettercoal as associate members and that they support our objectives, including driving good responsible practice and sourcing to ultimately create a positive impact. Our mission is to provide businesses and consumers worldwide with confidence that the steel they use has been sourced and produced responsibly at all levels of the steel supply chain, from suppliers of raw materials, through to end users. This can only be achieved through discussion, cooperation and mutual commitment involving companies at all levels of the steel supply chain, their customers and representatives of civil society. ResponsibleSteel™ is committed to open dialogue and to working as a multi-stakeholder group and attracting members has been a key focus, as we continue to grow our number of active stakeholders.”

Anne-Claire Howard, Executive Director Bettercoal, said: “One of Bettercoal’s key operating principles is Stakeholder Engagement pushing us to actively participate in industry initiatives to drive responsible mining and sourcing of coal. Joining ResponsibleSteel™ demonstrates our commitment to sustainability in the coal supply chain, allowing us to engage with stakeholders from the steel industry, where metallurgical coal plays such an important role in the production process. Bettercoal does not currently assess mines that supply coal for steel production however, our Assessment Process is entirely relevant and we are confident that through collaboration and cooperation with ResponsibleSteel™ we will start getting involved in the steel industry as well.”

For more information, please visit: http://www.responsiblesteel.org/