Policies, investments, and incentives in the global steel industry should focus on "double decarbonization" — reducing the carbon footprint of primary steelmaking that uses iron ore and recycling steel scrap — to accelerate emissions reductions by 2050, according to a report released on April 30.
The report, ‘The Role of scrap in Steel decarbonization: Key Facts and Considerations in the Construction Sector,’ was published by the Institute of Civil Engineers, the British Association of Building Steel Structures and the climate group SteelZero Initiative.
She stressed that the steel industry contributes 7%-9% of global carbon emissions, about 2 billion tons/year of steel are produced and more than two thirds of the main steel is produced from iron ore, while the rest of the secondary steel is produced mainly from recycled ferrous scrap.
According to the report, the recovery and recycling of ferrous scrap is already close to the maximum limit, so it is unlikely to increase significantly to meet future demand. Therefore, the main steel industry will continue to play an important role for many decades and will need to be decarbonized for the steel industry to achieve zero emissions.
The report highlighted the urgent need to accelerate low- and zero-carbon iron production, as well as decarbonization of power grids and improved sorting of scrap metals to enhance decarbonization of off-furnace processing.
He noted that a global playing field is also needed, guided by clear government policies and actions from the construction sector.
To achieve these goals, the report's authors recommended that planners and specialists collaborate with clients to adopt steel procurement strategies and designs that minimize global and project-specific greenhouse gas emissions.
He also suggested purchasing steel from manufacturers aligns with double decarbonization commitments and making low-carbon solutions to "minimize the use of materials as much as possible within the concepts of material efficiency and circular economy."
The report advised policy makers to invest in low-carbon pig iron and steel production technologies such as green hydrogen and direct reduction iron, and to prioritize policies aimed at efficient use and reuse of steel.
He stated that policy makers should"explore ways to normalize emissions reporting based on constraints,
