Vertically Integrated Raw Materials for Cleaner Steel

As a vertically integrated iron and steel producer, Cliffs differentiates itself from others in the steel industry since we internally produce in the United States the majority of the raw materials we use in the steelmaking process. Our production of high-quality ferrous raw materials, including iron ore pellets, HBI and prime scrap, enables us to supply a wide portfolio of high-quality grades and specialty steel products sustainably and consistently. We have the unique advantage as a steel producer of being fully self-sufficient in iron ore pellets, including standard pellets; fluxed pellets; and low-silica direct reduction (DR) grade pellets.

Our pellets are mined in Michigan and Minnesota and used in our cleaner pellet-based blast furnace production across the Great Lakes region and HBI production in Ohio. Pellets are 85% less CO2-intensive than sinter ores. Additionally, with our acquisition of FPT, we now operate scrap facilities throughout North America. The security of our raw material sourcing reassures our customers their supply of Cleveland-Cliffs’ steel will not be impacted by supply chain disruptions of raw materials such as imported pig iron and direct reduced iron, or shortages of prime scrap.

Environmental Stewardship

Complying with all environmental regulations is our minimum standard. Doing better than the minimum and going beyond compliance is a driving force in our environmental programs. We aim to strategically reduce our environmental footprint and to be welcomed and respected by the communities that host our operations.

Protecting the Environment

Our environmental policy is based on an understanding that we have a responsibility to preserve the environment for future generations.

View Our Environmental Policy

Our Performance

We are tracking our progress on key performance metrics to minimize our environmental impacts: reducing direct and indirect emissions, implementing energy efficiency measures, optimizing our use of water, and reducing waste.

See Our Sustainability Performance Data

ISO 14001:2015 Certified

Many of our facilities have obtained International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001 certification. Our Environmental Management System (EMS) establishes procedures, assigns responsibility, monitors performance and enables us to anticipate and address potential impacts before they occur.

More About Our ISO 14001:2015 Certified Facilities

Our Climate Change Commitment

Climate change is one of the most important issues impacting our planet and our industry, which is why we are committed to reducing our combined Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 25% by 2030 from 2017 levels across all of our operations.



In 2021, we joined the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Climate Challenge, with our GHG emissions reduction goal as the foundation for our efforts.


More About Our Plans to Reduce GHGs

Reducing Energy Consumption

A key priority of our GHG reduction strategy revolves around clean energy and the efficient use of energy. We are targeting to purchase 2 million MWh of renewable energy annually (additive to the power grid) to complement our existing supply and further reduce our Scope 2 footprint.

More About Energy Management