ResponsibleSteel is a global, not-for-profit organisation created to maximise steel?s contribution to a sustainable world. Working collaboratively with its members, it has developed the world’s first independent, global standard and certification programme for responsibly produced net-zero steel.

The founders of ResponsibleSteel contacted OneWorldStandards in 2016, seeking advice about the design and development of the programme. OneWorldStandards Director, Matthew Wenban-Smith, then led ResponsibleSteel as its Executive Director through its start-up phase from 2017 to 2019, working with the founding Board of Directors to define ResponsibleSteel’s governance model, develop an international standard based on the ISEAL Code of Good Practice, establish its certification programme and build its membership.

With ResponsibleSteel fully operational, Matthew stood down as Executive Director to lead the development of ResponsibleSteel’s standard for greenhouse gas emissions. This standard raised the bar for the steel sector, recognising that steel’s greenhouse gas emissions accounting must include upstream emissions and methane emissions, and in identifying and addressing the impacts of scrap-use in the determination of effective benchmarks for the specification of ‘low GHG’ steel.

Matthew has continued to contribute to ResponsibleSteel’s development, with work on green claims and ResponsibleSteel’s chain of custody standards.

ResponsibleSteel is now widely acknowledged as the leading sustainably programme for the steel sector, with more than 80 certified sites producing 130 million tonnes of steel in 2024.