Arch Resources has joined ResponsibleSteel, the steel industry’s first global not-for-profit multi-stakeholder standard and certification initiative. Arch is the first and only U.S. metallurgical coal producer to join the organization so far.
“Arch is committed to playing a vital role in building a sustainable global economy,” Arch CEO Paul A. Lang said. “We view ResponsibleSteel as a valuable forum for collaborating with our steelmaking partners as they endeavor to create a more ESG-compliant value chain, and as they seek to lower — and ultimately reduce to zero — the carbon intensity of the steelmaking process.”
ResponsbileSteel CEO Anne-Claire Howard said the role of metallurgical coal in the steelmaking process is considerable, with 70% of steel being produced using it as an input material. “We believe that working jointly with organizations directly involved in the production of metallurgical coal and other steelmaking inputs is essential in facilitating a responsible steel supply chain,” she added. “Even as we strive to support an accelerated transition to net-zero steelmaking, we want to ensure that all inputs in the steelmaking process are being produced by responsible mining companies who take their ESG impacts seriously.”
Arch said it believes a significant amount of new steel will be required in a de-carbonizing world, given steel’s importance in urbanization, infrastructure replacement, and the construction of essential de-carbonization tools such as mass transit systems, wind turbines and electric vehicles. At the same time, Arch said its own high-quality metallurgical products can assist steel producers in achieving incremental reductions in the overall carbon intensity of their manufacturing processes.
