JERSEY SHORE, Pa. - Steel manufacturer Jersey Shore Steel Co.'s sustainability initiatives have earned the company the 2013 Pennsylvania Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence.

In addition, the company, a supplier to the mattress, bedding and furniture industries, is a finalist for technology innovation and industry leadership in the 2013 Platts Global Metals Awards.

The Governor's Award is the "highest statewide honor bestowed upon businesses and organizations for environmental performance and innovation," according to the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, which presents the awards on behalf of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The awards "highlight the best in environmental innovation and expertise."

In addition to Jersey Shore Steel, the Governor's Award winners represent conservation organizations, agricultural firms, energy consulting firms, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and American manufacturers Boeing and Harley-Davidson.

Jersey Shore Steel's award cites the company's long-term process of "greening" its operations and its recent efforts to educate consumer and industrial markets about the merits of JSS green steel. The first steel mill in the world to have a documented "negative carbon footprint," the company's steel is considered by Penn State University to be "the world's greenest steel."

Jersey Shore Steel has been named a finalist in two categories of the 2013 Platts Global Metals Awards, Innovative Technology of the Year and Industry Leadership - Steel. Platts, a global provider of energy, petrochemical and metals information, is owned by McGraw-Hill.

Jersey Shore Steel, celebrating 75 years in business, is in its third generation of family ownership. The company produces high carbon, rail steel angles and other shapes.