Sustainability

Producing Cleaner Steel for a Sustainable Future

Our Sustainability Report for 2022

The Cleveland-Cliffs Sustainability Report 2022 covers information and data for calendar year 2022, unless otherwise noted. This report is structured around five sustainability priorities, which we believe are important tenets of our Company identity. We take regular action to demonstrate these tenets.

Steel for a Sustainable Society
Our Commitment to the Environment
Empowering Our People
Connecting with Our Communities
Acting with Integrity.

Report content and disclosures are aligned to the relevant GRI and SASB Standards for the iron and steel sector, and we obtained external limited assurance of our consolidated Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions data. We welcome your sending questions and feedback about this report to sustainability@clevelandcliffs.com.

Download Sustainability Report 2022

Archived sustainability reports are available here. You can also download a overview sheet of the sustainability efforts at Cleveland-Cliffs.

Material ESG Topics

As a newly formed vertically integrated iron and steel company in 2021, Cleveland-Cliffs’ Corporate Sustainability team engaged with its leadership and internal subject matter experts from cross-functional departments to determine its material environmental, social and governance (ESG) topics to include in its annual sustainability report. Identified ESG topics were deemed material if they had an impact on Cliffs, its key stakeholders and the industry at large. These topics were also aligned to globally accepted, voluntary sustainability reporting frameworks such as the Global Reporting Initiative and the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board. Since then, and on an annual basis, Cliffs’ Corporate Sustainability team engages with leadership and internal experts to validate these material ESG topics to define sustainability report content and data.

List of Materials Topics: Environmental Management; Climate & GHG Emissions; Air Quality; Energy; Water; Waste; Land & Biodiversity; Health & Safety; Talent Management; Labor Relations; Stakeholder & Community Engagement; Charitable Giving & Strategic Partnerships; Corporate Governance; Ethics & Compliance; Public Policy; and Value Chain Engagement.

Cleveland-Cliffs TCFD Report

The Task Force for Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) provides recommendations for companies to report on their climate-related governance, strategy, risk management, and metrics and targets. Cleveland-Cliffs is pleased to share its TCFD Report 2022.

Download TCFD Report 2022

Commitment to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Steel for a Sustainable Society

Reducing Our Carbon Footprint

Cleveland-Cliffs regularly tracks our progress against our goal of 25% reduction of combined absolute Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 2030 from 2017 levels. In 2022, our Scope 1 and 2 emissions were already below our reduction goal ahead of the 2030 target year. We achieved this through a combination of actions, such as optimizing our asset footprint and raw material mix, upgrading our onsite energy recovery for power generation, and adding renewable energy sources.

While we’re proud of these results, we’ll continue to reduce GHG emissions by prioritizing efficient operations and actionable, commercially viable technologies and solutions. We have dedicated resources for research and development of decarbonization technologies. In addition, we’re working with commercial and academic partners on projects focused on energy efficiency, industrial electrification, carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS), and clean electricity and fuels such as hydrogen.

View our Climate Commitment Plan

Spotlight

Engagement & Transparency

Cleveland-Cliffs is committed to reporting on the progress we’ve made in reducing our energy intensity and GHG emissions. We are a proud member of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Better Plants program and Better Climate Challenge. We track and report on a variety of sustainability data through various platforms, including our annual sustainability report, CDP and EcoVadis.

Through CDP—an international nonprofit organization that manages the global disclosure system for investors, companies, cities, states, and regions—we report GHG and climate-related information, such as supplier engagement and relevant upstream Scope 3 emissions. We are pleased to report we maintained a ‘B’ score in 2022, and we improved our Supplier Engagement Rating to an A-.

EcoVadis is an internationally recognized provider of business sustainability ratings across four categories: Environment, Labor & Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement. Cleveland-Cliffs earned a Silver medal for sustainability achievement in 2022, ranking us in the 83^rd percentile for overall performance.

Environment

Reducing Our Impacts

Cleveland-Cliffs remains committed to operating our business in an environmentally responsible manner. Going beyond compliance, we continually seek opportunities to minimize our impacts and engage with our local communities to ensure we are a good neighbor. One of the most important issues impacting our planet is climate change, and we are doing our part to reduce our GHG emissions by pursuing decarbonization solutions.

Social

Empowering People, Connecting with Communities

Safe Production is the most important Core Value at Cleveland-Cliffs, and we strive for zero injuries through proper training and protective equipment. We aim to provide our employees with meaningful work, attractive benefits and opportunities for professional growth. Cliffs is proud of our strong union partnerships and we value the diversity of our workforce. Through two-way dialogue, we keep a pulse on what’s important to the communities where we operate. Through the Cleveland-Cliffs Foundation, we create tangible impact through strategic partnerships and financial support to like-minded organizations.

Governance

Acting with Integrity

Strong corporate governance and ethical business practices serve as the foundation of Cleveland-Cliffs’ company culture. We believe in honesty, fairness and treating everyone with respect—from our Board of Directors to our employees, our customers to our suppliers, and beyond.

Our Products

Steel for a Sustainable Society

Steel is critical to the development of clean energy technologies that will make society’s transition to a low-carbon future a reality. From upgrading our electrical grid and developing renewable energy, to producing alternative fuels and powering electric vehicles, steel will be necessary to advance these sustainable solutions.