Sustainability in the general sense is of vital importance to the steel sector.

EUROFER has established a sustainability strategy based on a limited number of principles, which were first laid down formally in 2016.

The chief concern of the sector is to be, and remain, a sustainable employer. From an innovation and low-carbon point of view, the European steel industry is focusing on breakthrough technologies. Air pollution and the circular economy are other key environmental issues, alongside sustainable product development.

Other sustainability priorities for the European steel industry include the promotion of steel as a multi-recyclable, permanent, and versatile material, and on the material and energy efficiency of steel production.

The four principles of EUROFER's overall sustainability strategy are:

1. Steel is a sustainable and permanent material;
2. The EU steel industry is a highly sustainable producer compared to producers in other regions;
3. Each steel sector segment faces specific market environments wherein the very concept of ‘sustainability’ may require different approaches;
4. Specific sustainability initiatives undertaken by a given segment must fit into the overall steel strategy and must not negatively affect the work done in other segments.