Our Strategy for Success - Sustainability.ussteel.com
We are dedicated to lowering our carbon footprint and assisting our customers in doing the same. We provide advanced steel products that are manufactured with fewer emissions than traditional steelmaking methods and can be recycled repeatedly. Our goal is to achieve net-zero GHG emissions (Scope 1 and 2) by 2050.
Disruption in the steel industry is inevitable. We intend to focus on disruptive innovation that is vital to our success, and that advances our sustainability strategy. We are already proving the value of this approach with innovative products such as verdeX® and InduX™, infinitely recyclable steels produced from up to 90% scrap while reducing GHG emissions (Scope 1 and 2) by 70%–80%.
We envision a true transformation that transcends our steel products and manufacturing methods. Our aim is to become the steelmaker that best serves our people, our customers, our communities and our planet.
The matrix shows our 16 material topics in relation to stakeholder importance. The nine bolded topics are our strategic priority topics as of 2024. For more information on how we are integrating these topics into our short and long-term strategies, see our GRI 3-3 disclosures.
Our Commitments and Progress
2024 Environmental Highlights
#1
Earned the world’s first-ever certification for ResponsibleSteel™ Certified Steel at Big River Steel
Our SteelSUSTAINABILITY Employee Resource Group (ERG) launched the Sustain X program, designed to foster and fund sustainability-oriented projects created and led by employees
Partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation to plant 4,630 trees
Received the Association for Iron & Steel Technology’s Silver 2024 Reliability Achievement Award
Signed a supply agreement with Origami Solar to supply them with ZMAG™ steel for the manufacture of solar panel frames to be utilized in solar fields
40,000
Won the Pennsylvania “Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence” for our two new electric locomotives at the Mon Valley Works site, which will reduce diesel fuel consumption by 40,000 gallons annually
Partnered with energy and technology companies, government agencies, non-profits and universities on carbon capture, reduction and utilization projects
19%
Granite City Works (GCW) reduced the amount of waste oil disposed of by 61,000 gallons from 2023 to 2024 — a reduction of about 19%
28,521 MWh
Big River Steel continued to participate in the Entergy Arkansas Green Promise tariff program
47.6 M
GCW reduced the amount of city water used in operations by 47.6 million gallons from 2023 to 2024 — a reduction of about 37%
Published our inaugural Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) Report
$240M
Earned a 2024 Sustainable Debt Award from Environmental Finance for a successful $240 million green bond offering issued through the Arkansas Development Finance Authority
34.7%
Reduced Scope 2 GHG emissions intensity by 34.7% from our 2021 baseline at Big River Steel
2024 Social Highlights
0.06
Achieved a corporate OSHA Days Away From Work (DAFW) rate of 0.06 — just 10% of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Iron and Steel benchmark DAFW rate of 0.60
Earned “Best Place to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality” in the Human Rights Campaign’s 2024 Corporate Equality Index for the fifth year in a row
100%
Continued to support 100% pay equity, validated by independent third party
17 Years
In February 2024, the Mine Engineering team at our Minnesota Ore Operations achieved 17 years without a recordable injury
Became a Signatory of Statement of Support for Women’s Empowerment Principles
Named by Newsweek as one of the Top 100 Most Loved Workplaces® for the fourth year in a row
Earned “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion” in the 2024 Disability Equality Index for the fifth year in a row
Recognized by Military Times’ “Best for Vets: Employers” list for the second year in a row
15%
Employee Resource Group (ERG) membership increased by 15%
Named by Ethisphere as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies® for the fourth year in a row in 2025
Named by Vibrant Pittsburgh as one of its “Vibrant Champions,” a recognition of organizations that are excelling at improving fairness and acceptance in their practices, policies and cultures
Recognized as a Beyond the Yellow Ribbon company for our support of Minnesota service members and their families
$7.7M
Directed $7.7 million in donations to over 150 organizations, events and programs
Goal
Reduce emissions intensity (Scope 1 and 2) by 20% by 2030 based on our 2018 baseline
Progress to Date
Global emissions intensity decreased from 2024 compared to 2023 due to efficiency gains from operating an optimized footprint. Also, our BR2 plant started up in 2024. We worked with electricity suppliers to improve our Scope 2 emissions by taking advantage of electrical grid changes. The overall result of 1.80 t CO2e/t raw steel is a 19% reduction in emissions intensity from our 2018 baseline year.
Goal
Achieve net-zero Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 2050
Progress to Date
Global absolute emissions decreased from 2023 to 2024 to 25.6 million net tons CO2e, which was a decrease of around 3 million net tons CO2e, due to a combination of decreased steel production and efficiency gains from a more optimized footprint. We are working on various actions to reduce our emissions and meet the 2050 target, and these actions are detailed throughout the report.
Goal
Reduce Scope 2 GHG emissions intensity by 25% by 2030 at U. S. Steel’s Big River Steel Works
Progress to Date
Reduced Scope 2 GHG emissions intensity by 34.7% from our 2021 baseline.
Goal
Reuse or recycle 3% of water used at Big River Steel annually (including water withdrawn from shallow and deep wells) through 2030
Progress to Date
Big River Steel met the previous by-2030 goal in 2024, thus updating the goal to “through 2030.” 6% of water used in 2024 was recycled
Goal
Maintain water use of less than 2.4 cubic meters of water per metric ton of steel produced through 2028 at U. S. Steel's Big River Steel
Progress to Date
Water use intensity for Big River Steel was 2.1 cubic meters of water per metric ton of steel produced in 2024.
Goal
Increase recycling of office waste by 10% at U. S. Steel’s Big River Steel
Progress to Date
641.4 metric tons of waste, including office paper, wood, plastic totes, soda cans and coffee waste, was recycled— an increase of 634.3 metric tons from 2023 to 2024. This was due to the increase in plastic totes, wood and other materials from construction-related activities at BR2.
Goal
Reduce corporate nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions intensity by 10% by 2030 compared with our 2018 baseline
Progress to Date
2024 actual NOx emissions decreased from 2023. The NOx emission intensity increased slightly in 2024 (1,824 NOx net tons per million metric tons of crude steel) vs. 2023 (1,697 NOx net tons per million metric tons of crude steel) primarily due to increase in steel production. We are on target to meet the 2030 goal.
Goal
Continue to support 100% pay equity
Progress to Date
We continued to partner with an independent third party to conduct annual reviews of North American compensation data and address findings in a timely manner.
Goal
Support the enhancement of our workforce’s skillsets through participation in various voluntary training opportunities
Progress to Date
Achieved 80% non-mandatory participation by our North American non-represented workforce.
Goal
Continue our corporate contributions in 2024
Progress to Date
U. S. Steel directed $7.7 million in donations to over 150 organizations, events and programs. This includes $2.7 million in donations provided by U. S. Steel Košice