ArcelorMittal has a 2050 net zero emissions target and is planning to shift from blast furnaces to green hydrogen-based steelmaking in Europe and Canada, but is still building coal-consuming blast furnaces in India. ArcelorMittal appears to be planning a two-speed decarbonisation with ready-to-deploy DRI technology to be installed overwhelmingly in developed nations while the developing Global South is on the slower pathway involving more blast furnaces and as yet unproven CCUS technology. With no major breakthrough in CCUS for coal-based steelmaking on the horizon, investors should be asking questions about ArcelorMittal’s Indian expansion and how it’s compatible with a 2050 net zero emissions target.

There is no argument about what the mission is - we need to cut emissions significantly and reach net-zero by 2050. Additionally, there needs to be a stop to investors engaging with carbon intensive technology and assets. The report "Net-Zero Steel: Sector Transition Strategy", by the Mission Possible Partnership, details a net-zero transition strategy that is backed by science and the industry itself. This strategy identifies exactly what needs to happen before 2050, to limit the rise in global temperatures to 1.5°C

Author: Mission Possible Partnership, 2022

This report focuses on comparing the criteria air pollutants emissions intensities for the steel industry in selected countries. It is hoped that the benchmarking of criteria air pollutants emissions intensities will help policymakers prioritize abatement of specific criteria air pollutants and design policies for the curtailment of their emissions.

Author: Ali Hasanbeigi, Navdeep Bhadbhade, Ahana Ghosh, 2022

“The global market for low-CO2 materials could reach 100 USD billion by 2030”, depicting that the opportunity is there - but what about the technology? This study explores the momentum of clean technology development in the industrial sector, as well as what policy areas can be intertwined to increase the production of low-CO2 materials.

Author: Material Economics, 2022

This study gives a breakdown of ResponsibleSteel, the CEM IDDI, and the US federal Buy Clean program, analyzes their policy goals and their political implications, and provides recommendations on how to make them more effective.

Author: Mary Hellmich (adelphi) & Sarah Jackson (E3G), 2022

SteelZero announced the policy principles required to be implemented by governments to aid in accelerating the global transition to net zero steel. These outlined principles will also provide business with the required information to advocate for the critical changes that are needed in all areas steel.

Author: Climate Group, 2022

The one stop fact sheet to explain how steel is made.

Author: Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), 2022

What is circularity and how can it help to accelerate the steel sector? Sandbag's latest report discuss how this process combined with the European industrial sector and climate policy can help to accelerate the transition.

Author: Sandbag, 2022

Want to know more about Japan and South Korea Steel sector but don't know how? InfluenceMap's report "The Japanese and South Korean Steel Sectors & Climate Policy" compares how well East Asian steelmakers perform on climate policy engagement. Unfortunately, it has been identified that Japan and South Korean steel companies fall immensely low on the ladder. By drawing on these stark conclusions, they have put forward recommendations for investors that would move these nations into the front runner space on leading the way to safer climate.

Author: InfluenceMap, 2022

A short fact sheet on steel industrial transformation, outlining the problems and solutions for the United States steel industry.

Author: Sierra Club, 2022

With the decisive decade upon us, there is an increasing pressure for installing greener approaches in the industrial sectors. McKinsey & Company discuss 'the way forward' for the construction sector in achieving net-zero steel.

Author: McKinsey & Company, 2022

With the global steel production having substantially increased from 2000 to 2020, it appears that. the demand for steel will only continue to increase. In Global Efficiency Intelligence’s report Global Efficiency Intelligence, they set out to create the international benchmarking for energy and CO2 intensities related to steel, allowing you to know which are the countries in the world guiding the industry's future, and what factors are contributing to this.

Author: Global Efficiency Intelligence, 2022

Ever found yourself looking endlessly for steel sector data that is current? Global Energy Monitor’s Global Steel Plant Tracker is the answer to your data worries. You can find not only general information about each iron and steel plants themselves, but also expansion plans and footnoted references for further details.

Author: Global Energy Monitor

Investor Group on Climate Change (IGCC) has released a guide that outlines exactly what investors should expect from corporate climate transition plans. The guide provides 5 principles, that includes an outline of the expectations from the relevant sector. To read up on the steel sector, head to page 11.

Author: Investor Group on Climate Change (IGCC), 2022

This study investigates the direct reduced iron-electric arc furnace production route enabled by renewable energy and deployed in regional settings. The hypothesis, that co-locating manufacturing processes with renewable energy resources would offer highest energy efficiency and cost reduction, is tested through an Australia-Japan case study.

Author: Alexandra Devlin & Aidong Yang, 2022

The government’s procurement activities, regardless of their level, are in some way accountable for 15% of greenhouse gas emissions. According to the Green Public Procurement: Catalysing the Net-Zero Economy (by the World Economic Forum), if these emissions were subsided it would result in approximately $4 trillion boost in the green economy. Read further to know about the advantages and disadvantages of green procurement, as well as gaining a sense of direction on how these activities can achieve the overall goal of net-zero.

Author: World Economic Forum, 2022

Japan announced its carbon neutrality goal by 2050, but plans to actually get there are lacking. As industry sectors account for 37% of Japan’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and iron and steel are important materials widely used by a multitude of industries, "Towards Carbon Neutral Steel in Japan" learns from the latest trends in the European Union to stimulate proactive discussion and contribute to Japan’s policy decision making.

Author: Renewable Energy Institute, 2021

With a key focus on Asia, the Asia Investor Group on Climate Change (AIGCC) analyses the challenges currently being faced in adopting carbon, capture and storage (CCS) in the decarbonisation journey of the energy sector. These barriers have created implications within decided strategies of all actors involved, including governments, industries and companies. AIGCC presents recommendations for investors and companies to defeat these challenges and achieve the CCS adaption.

Author: Asia Investor Group on Climate Change (AIGCC), 2021

Leadit report “From ‘Hard-to-Abate’ to Net-Zero: Policy Priorities for Decarbonizing Steel by 2050” draws on the best available data, to stress the urgency required to initiate the sector’s transition. There is no debate that rapid action is needed to prevent new blast furnaces from being added, as well as existing ones from being relined - all by 2025.

Author: Leadit, 2021

So, why does the global steel sector need to invest in climate-neutral technologies in the decade of the 2020s and not the latter? Agora's paper identifies that 71% of the coal-based blast furnaces used in the steel industry will actually finish their functioning lifespan before we reach the year of 2030. Essentially this means that these critical decisions about where re-investments are needed, have to be made now. As result, this means that any decisions made after 2030 about investments or carbon capture and storage will carry a high risk.

Author: Agora, 2021