Schnitzer Named as a World's Most Ethical Company by the Ethisphere Institute for the 2nd Year

Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:SCHN) has been recognized by the Ethisphere Institute, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices, as a 2016 World’s Most Ethical Company®.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of Ethisphere and the World’s Most Ethical Companies designation which recognizes those companies who align principle with action, work tirelessly to make trust part of their corporate DNA, and in doing so, shape future industry standards by introducing tomorrow’s best practices today.

Being designated a World’s Most Ethical Company for the second time underscores Schnitzer’s commitment to leading ethical business standards and practices. Schnitzer is one of only two companies in the metals and mining industry recognized this year. Schnitzer remains the first and only U.S. metals recycling company to be among the honorees.

“Our core values of integrity, safety and sustainability begin with a foundation of ethical behavior and responsible practices at every level,” said Tamara Lundgren, Schnitzer’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “We are honored to earn this recognition again as it is a reflection of the outstanding work of every individual on our team.”

“We are proud to be formally recognized for the second consecutive year as a leader in ethics and corporate citizenship and responsibility,” said Meghan Erickson, Chief Compliance Officer. “This award reaffirms our belief that doing the right thing—not sometimes, but always—is the only way to do business.”

“Companies rely on Ethisphere to continually raise and measure the standards of corporate behavior. Those that demonstrate leadership in areas like citizenship, integrity and transparency create more value for their investors, communities, customers and employees, thus solidifying a sustainable business advantage,” explained Ethisphere’s Chief Executive Officer, Timothy Erblich. “Congratulations to everyone at Schnitzer for being recognized as a World's Most Ethical Company.”

Methodology & Scoring

The World's Most Ethical Company assessment is based upon the Ethisphere Institute’s Ethics Quotient™ (EQ) framework developed over years of research and vetted and refined by the expert advice from Ethisphere’s World’s Most Ethical Company Methodology Advisory Panel. The EQ offers a quantitative way to assess a company’s performance in an objective, consistent and standardized way. The information collected provides a comprehensive sampling of definitive criteria of core competencies, rather than all aspects of corporate governance, risk, sustainability, compliance and ethics.

Scores are generated in five key categories: ethics and compliance program (35%), corporate citizenship and responsibility (20%), culture of ethics (20%), governance (15%) and leadership, innovation and reputation (10%) and provided to all companies who participate in the process.

Honorees

The full list of the 2016 World's Most Ethical Companies can be found at http://worldsmostethicalcompanies.ethisphere.com/honorees/.

Best practices and insights from the 2016 honorees will be released in the form of a whitepaper and infographics over the next few months (download the 2015 insights). Organizations interested in how they compare to the World’s Most Ethical Companies are invited to participate in the Ethics Quotient.

About Schnitzer Steel

Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc. is one of the largest manufacturers and exporters of recycled metal products in the United States with operating facilities located in 24 states, Puerto Rico and Western Canada. Schnitzer has seven deep-water export facilities located on both the East and West Coasts and in Hawaii and Puerto Rico. The Company's integrated operating platform also includes auto parts stores and steel manufacturing. With an effective annual production capacity of approximately 800,000 tons, the Company's steel manufacturing business produces finished steel products, including rebar, wire rod and other specialty products. The Company began operations in 1906 in Portland, Oregon.

About the Ethisphere Institute

The Ethisphere® Institute is the global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices that fuel corporate character, marketplace trust and business success. Ethisphere has deep expertise in measuring and defining core ethics standards using data-driven insights that help companies enhance corporate character. Ethisphere honors superior achievement through its World’s Most Ethical Companies® recognition program, provides a community of industry experts with the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance (BELA) and showcases trends and best practices in ethics with the publication of Ethisphere magazine. More information about Ethisphere can be found at: http://ethisphere.com.

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