Nucor’s production of millions of tons of steel each year makes it one of the country’s dirtiest corporations. But what’s worse is that we don’t even know the full extent of its pollution.  

In 2013, the Political Economy Research Institute listed Nucor as the 69th worst polluter in its “Toxic 100” list. Even that ranking was a massive improvement from being #14 in 2002. Clearly, Nucor has taken steps to address its climate impact. But we still need more transparency.

Manufacturing steel is more than about what happens inside Nucor’s factories. It’s about the extraction of iron ore and steel scrap, the transport of natural gas for its plants, and the massive distribution chain that brings millions of tons of steel from Nucor factories to its customers. Nearly all of those processes are being ignored from Nucor’s climate record-keeping -- we need to call on Nucor to address this lie of omission.  

Tell Nucor to disclose the full extent of its pollution record.

It’s true Nucor is taking steps to address its environmental impact. It’s an industry leader in steel recycling, for example, and in 2015 spent $65 million to meet U.S. environmental regulations. But it’s going to take investigating the full scope of Nucor’s supply chain -- from material extraction to distribution -- to take real steps towards sustainability.

It takes comprehensive reporting to hold corporations accountable for their environmental impact. That’s why it’s so important that 80% of the world’s largest companies release climate data to NGOs like the Climate Disclosure Project. So if Nucor is truly committed to “walk the talk” when it comes to sustainability, as CEO John Ferriola claims, why won’t Nucor release its pollution record?

To put the brakes on irreversible climate change, we need to use all the tools at our disposal. We can’t let corporations like Nucor get away with their lies of omission, ignoring the emissions impact of huge parts of their work. Let’s come together now to make sure Nucor releases the full facts about it climate pollution record.