Increased customer demand, new regulatory requirements, and growth in sustainable investment are all reasons for the growing interest in “green steel”. But since no official definition of “green steel” really exists, how do we know when we’ve been greenwashed?
The good news? Both steel producers and steel customers are increasingly open to changes in the steel industry. There are many promising initiatives, but one major challenge remains: there’s still no clear definition of sustainably produced steel.
The term green steel is widely used to describe steel made with lower emissions, but what does it really mean? The reality is that the industry lacks universal standards, leaving room for interpretation. Many companies market their steel as green, yet the criteria behind these claims can be vague or inconsistent. In some cases, steel is labeled green even when only a fraction of the production process is sustainable, while the rest remains carbon-intensive.
Without a clear benchmark, green steel risks becoming a buzzword rather than a real solution. Some manufacturers may claim sustainability even when the reduction in CO2 emissions is minimal or non-existent. For example, if only 10% of a steelmaker’s output is lower-emission steel, but the other 90% follows traditional, high-emission processes, is it truly green? In the race to combat climate change, transparency matters more than ever.
"Today, companies can claim their steel is green even if the contribution to CO2 reduction is negligible. Uncomfortable facts can be omitted at a time when there’s an urgent need to combat climate change. Everyone buying and using products containing steel has the right to see the facts behind climate change promises. Green statements are not enough," says Johan Anderson, Market Development at SSAB. "The responsibility of the steel industry is not just to remove the carbon footprint, but also to show exactly how it’s done.”
On the bright side, steel customers and end-users are demanding more transparency. The call for hard numbers and scientific proof is putting pressure on steelmakers to back up their claims.
"Customer demand for decarbonized steel and products with less cimate impact is real. It encourages and pushes us as steelmakers to go all the way, virtually eliminating the product’s carbon footprint," Anderson adds.
Steel production is one of the largest contributors to CO2 emissions, responsible for around 7% of global emissions. But the good news is that solutions exist.
One of the most effective strategies is steel recycling, which has reached an impressive 90% in many parts of the world. However, recycled steel alone isn’t enough – it currently meets just. That’s why the industry must also focus on transitioning to a quarter of global demand truly sustainable steelmaking processes.
As companies source steel, it’s crucial not to take green labels at face value. Instead, they must dig deeper, investigate what’s behind the claims, and demand scientific proof. Because in the fight against climate change, facts – not just promises – will make the real difference.
The responsibility of the steel industry is not just to remove the carbon footprint, but also to show exactly how it’s done.
Johan Anderson, Market development, SSAB
When sourcing a steel supplier, the importance of not accepting a green steel label at face value, investigating what is behind that label and requesting scientific proof to support it, cannot be understated.
With no official definition of “green steel,” it’s the technology and process behind it that determine whether a steel product is truly sustainable.
The HYBRIT® technology is a game changer, virtually eliminating the carbon footprint and redefining what sustainable steel should be.
At the heart of this revolutionary process is water. Using fossil-free electricity, water is split into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen then removes oxygen from the iron ore, producing only water as a by-product – no CO2, no pollution. That water is then reused to create more hydrogen, forming a natural, closed-loop system. No fossil fuels, no emissions, no compromises.
Traditional steelmaking based on iron ore relies on coal and coke, making it one of the largest industrial sources of CO2 emissions. HYBRIT® technology replaces these with hydrogen, completely removing coal from the equation.
When hydrogen replaces coal in the reduction process, the only by-product is water. And even that isn’t wasted – it’s reused to produce more hydrogen, keeping the process entirely circular.
When hydrogen is produced using fossil-free electricity - also known as green hydrogen – the entire steelmaking process becomes virtually emission-free. This isn’t just lower-carbon steel. It’s truly fossil-free steel.
With HYBRIT® technology, SSAB has aims to be the first steel company in the world to bring fossil-free steel to the market and largely eliminate carbon dioxide emissions from our own operations in around 2030. Together with our partners and customers, SSAB aims to create a fossil-free value chain, from mine to end-product.
Get answers to your questions and read the most frequently asked questions here.
Since 2021, SSAB has been supplying small quantities of fossil-free steel for prototypes and small batch production runs. It has been a huge success. Now SSAB is taking another big step towards reducing the steel industry’s carbon footprint. The new SSAB Zero™ steel is not only produced without fossil emissions in our own plants, it is also made from recycled steel. A sustainable offering, which is seeing strong demand from the market.
What are the technical challenges involved in fossil-free steel? Will there be fossil-free steel for all products? There was tremendous interest and a host of questions when we organized a webinar about fossil-free steel this spring. On September 30, we will therefore be hosting a new webinar, in which we will answer the most frequently asked questions and give you an in-depth look at our journey towards fossil-free steel. Don’t miss it!
SSAB is taking the lead in reducing the carbon footprint of the steel industry and is aiming to launch the world's first fossil-free steel by around 2026. But how does fossil-free steel production actually work? And what's the difference between green steel and fossil-free steel? Welcome to a fact-packed webinar to help you learn more about SSAB's fossil-free steel production.
Learn how SSAB's environmental product declarations, EPDs for short, work and how you can use them to see the environmental impact your product has throughout an entire life cycle. Plus, expand your knowledge on how the new steel processing technology HYBRIT produces fossil-free steel. Welcome to a fact-packed webinar with SSAB on the topic of sustainability.