LEED

Although a steel mill is probably the last place you’d expect to be LEED certified, don’t be surprised when you visit Big River. There is indeed a LEED plaque hanging on our wall. In March of 2017, we became the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified steel production facility in the nation thanks to our environmental sustainability efforts and energy efficiency performance. In addition to our mill building, the employee services building, administrative building, and warehouse have also received LEED certification.

LEED FACTS

  1. EXCEEDED EPA REGULATIONS

    In order to meet higher European environmental standards, buildings and equipment were designed to exceed EPA regulations.

  2. REDUCED HEAT LOSS

    The Electric arc furnace (EAF) includes a hydraulic power roof system to reduce the amount of heat loss to a fraction of what’s lost from a traditional roof system.

  3. ENERGY EFFICIENT

    Drives and motors idle at much lower speeds compared to traditional steel mills which run nonstop at full horsepower.

  4. CLEANER WATER

    After water is pumped from wells to cool hot steel, it’s sent to an energy-efficient wastewater treatment facility which returns it to the Mississippi River cleaner than before.

Click here to view our Corporate Social Responsibility Report.
VIEW CSR REPORT

Our Environmental Policy

Big River Steel focuses on Being Responsible Stewards to our customers, community, stakeholders, industry, environment and the global economy. We recognize that protecting and maintaining the quality of the environment is an integral part of steelmaking.

Our environmental policy is committed to:

  • Providing a safe and healthy workplace by training our team and equipping them with the necessary resources to safely accomplish their daily activities.
  • Complying with all applicable environmental and safety laws, regulations, permits and agreements.
  • Acting responsibly to minimize or prevent negative impacts to the environment, including air emissions, solid and hazardous waste management, reducing water usage and the safe use of chemicals.
  • Promoting pollution prevention and environmental awareness by training our team and taking steps to conserve resources through energy conservation and recycling.
  • Implementing, evaluating and continually improving our environmental, health and safety policies and program.
  • Evaluating our policies and communicating our environmental performance on a routine basis.

Big River supports this policy by holding all employees accountable for ensuring safety, environmental compliance and responsible stewardship to people and our planet.

Click here to read the LEED video transcript.
READ TRANSCRIPT

Resources

Taking Care of Our Environment While We Take Care of Business
– View Article
Press Release: BRS Earns LEED Certification
– Download
USGBC: From Steel to Silver & Gold
– View Article