Report: Breaking The Mold: The Role of Automakers In Steel Decarbonisation

A new report by Greenpeace East Asia reveals that carmakers are endangering the planet by failing to decarbonize their steel supply chains, pushing global temperatures beyond the critical 1.5°C threshold. Steel production for the automotive industry is responsible for a staggering 573 million tonnes of CO2 emissions each year, equivalent to Australia's annual emissions. Greenpeace urges major automakers like Hyundai, Volkswagen, and Toyota to disclose their steel emissions and take action to consume less steel and transition to zero-carbon steelmaking. Despite using at least 39 million tonnes of steel in 2022, automakers have not set specific targets to reduce steel consumption or disclosed emissions associated with steel. While some low-carbon steel initiatives exist in Europe, East Asia lacks comparable partnerships. Greenpeace emphasizes the need for automakers to halve their steel emissions by 2030, disclose steel-related emissions, issue green steel procurement commitments, and ultimately achieve net-zero emissions across their supply chains.

Author: Wenjie Liu, Jiangbei Hao, Ada Kong, May 2023

Resource: https://www.greenpeace.org/static/planet4-eastasia-stateless/2023/05/e45b70a3-auto_steel_report_2023_-greenpeace.pdf