In August 2021, Swedish steel manufacturer SSAB saw the successful production of the first piece of fossil-free steel in world history. It was made possible by HYBRIT – a joint initiative between SSAB, iron ore producer LKAB and energy company Vattenfall – which aims to develop a process to produce steel without CO₂ emissions.

“The first fossil-free steel in the world is not only a breakthrough for SSAB, it also proves that it’s possible to make the transition and significantly reduce the steel industry’s carbon footprint,” says Martin Lindqvist, SSAB President and CEO.

The success of HYBRIT created a lot of buzz among companies with a strong interest in the development of a carbon-neutral material. However, it is also just the beginning of an industrial transition that hinges on more SSAB customers replacing traditional steel in their production with the new fossil-free alternative.

Why Volvo chose fossil-free steel

The Volvo Group became the first company to take the leap and start using fossil-free steel. “To be able to build the world we want to live in, we need to be sustainable both as a company and our products,” says Marcus Andersson, Head of Structure Engineering, Articulated Haulers & Wheel Loaders at the Volvo Group. “Steel forms the backbone of our products and as such it adds to our carbon footprint. To implement fossil-free steel makes it possible for us to address this issue.”

The world’s first vehicle made with fossil-free steel

In October 2021, the Volvo Group unveiled the first vehicle ever made with fossil-free steel with the introduction of an autonomous electric dumper, which contains more than three tonnes of fossil-free steel delivered by SSAB.

“This vehicle has great symbolic value because it represents a big technological shift to going fully electric and autonomous,” says Andersson. “At the same time, it also represents our sustainability ambitions. To add fossil-free steel to this product was a natural next step for us.”

Fossil-free steel has same high quality but with zero emissions

While the production process differs from conventional manufacturing, the fossil-free steel from SSAB has the same high quality and retains the properties of traditional steel, which is of great importance to Volvo.

“The feedback I got from my team when it comes to the quality and properties of the product was that they are exactly the same as those of conventional steel,” says Melker Jernberg, President of Volvo Construction Equipment. “During welding and cutting, we used exactly the same product processes, which will be important when we start to scale up production.”

“Our collaboration with the Volvo Group shows that a green transition is possible and can bring results,” says Martin Lindqvist. “We hope that this will inspire others to also want to speed up the green transition.”