Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. Reports on Sustainability Progress

CLEVELAND, Nov. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. (NYSE: CLF) (Paris: CLF) today announced the release of its third sustainability report, titled "Common Values. Global Growth. Shared Benefit." The Report is a comprehensive look at Cliffs' business and describes the Company's goals, progress and outcomes in four key areas of corporate responsibility: corporate governance, environment, community and economic value.  

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Cliffs developed its report in conformance with Global Reporting Initiative's (GRI) comprehensive Sustainability Reporting Framework. Widely used around the world, GRI's framework enables greater organizational transparency by establishing principles and indicators that global organizations can use to measure and report their economic, environmental, and social performance. The Cliffs Corporate Sustainability Report received a third-party assurance and earned a B+ rating for the second consecutive year.

"Further progress on our sustainability journey will require continuous improvement in our systems and a clear articulation of Cliffs' sustainability strategy – both in the context of our evolving business and the broader environment in which we operate. It is exciting to see how sustainability can drive transformational change across the organization," said Kelly Tompkins, executive vice president, legal, government affairs and sustainability of Cliffs. "As we integrate sustainability into our business during a time of extraordinary growth, it is also important that it be done consistent with our core values."

Mr. Tompkins added that: "We know our expanded global footprint will bring new challenges which make it ever more important that we embed the highest standards of safety, environmental performance, ethics, economic stewardship, and community engagement in our core business processes and systems along the way."

The 2010 Cliffs Corporate Sustainability Report features sustainability accomplishments, such as:

• Cliffs' Supply Chain Management team has taken a leading role in developing and implementing practices consistent with our principles of sustainability.  In close collaboration with operational stakeholders, the Supply Chain team achieved $34.6 million in annualized cost savings and avoidance through strategic, centralized and site-based procurement initiatives.
• Cliffs United Taconite mine's Green Production Project provided a creative solution to resolve operating constraints and increase production. The project redesigned the facility for lower sulfur fuels and substantially reduced NOx regional haze emissions and avoided costly emission controls.
• Cliffs Asia Pacific Iron Ore entered into a voluntary agreement with the Western Australia Department of Environment and Conservation to improve the information base and on-the-ground capacity to manage the natural environment in the Northern Yilgarn region.  It has become a model of collaboration among a large of array of diverse stakeholders and enabled Cliffs to capture economic returns while protecting the natural environment.

To access Cliffs' 2010 Sustainability Report in its entirety, please visit the Sustainability section of the Company's website: http://www.cliffsnaturalresources.com.

About Cliffs Natural Resources Inc.

Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. is an international mining and natural resources company. A member of the S&P 500 Index, the Company is a major global iron ore producer and a significant producer of high- and low-volatile metallurgical coal. Cliffs' strategy is to continually achieve greater scale and diversification in the mining industry through a focus on serving the world's largest and fastest growing steel markets. Driven by the core values of social, environmental and capital stewardship, Cliffs associates across the globe endeavor to provide all stakeholders operating and financial transparency.

The Company is organized through a global commercial group responsible for sales and delivery of Cliffs products and a global operations group responsible for the production of the minerals the Company markets. Cliffs operates iron ore and coal mines in North America and two iron ore mining complexes in Western Australia. The Company also has a 45% economic interest in a coking and thermal coal mine in Queensland, Australia. In addition, Cliffs has a major chromite project, in the pre-feasibility stage of development, located in Ontario, Canada.

News releases and other information on the Company are available on the Internet at: http://www.cliffsnaturalresources.com

SOURCE Cliffs Natural Resources Inc.