Following intensive committee work, the German Steel Federation WV Stahl has presented a coherent proposal for a label system A-E to define and mark green steel as a joint result of the work of the German steel industry. This takes into account the CO2-footprint of a specific product, also take transformative steps by companies towards emission reductions and make them assessable in a classification system. This enables the targeted incentive and flanking of the necessary investments for climate neutrality and the ramp-up of green steel. With its proposal, the steel industry in Germany would like to support the politically desired development of (lead) markets for climate-friendly products in Germany and the EU. WV Stahl President Mr Hans Jürgen Kerkhoff said “With its proposal for a label system for green steel, the steel industry in Germany is sending a strong signal for industrial transformation. We are thus presenting a concept on the basis of which it can be discussed in concrete terms how green lead markets can be created, which were already envisaged in the Steel Action Plan from 2020 and also in the coalition agreement. We hope that the German government will now quickly take up this impulse, discuss it with all relevant stakeholders and also bring it into the ongoing international discussions at the G-7 and within the framework of climate clubs.”Green lead markets for raw materials such as green steel are a key policy building block on the way to a climate-neutral industry. Their basic idea is to set targeted incentives for the use of green steel on the demand side as well, in order to enable the gradual conversion to climate-friendly processes, which are associated with high investment and initially even higher operating costs. This relieves the necessary state start-up funding and replaces it in the future.To achieve this, definitional questions must first be clarified: When is steel to be classified as green or climate-neutral? To what extent can investments that only lead to climate-neutral steel be credited if, in particular, sufficient green energy (electricity, hydrogen) is available? And finally: Which standards can ensure that all actors calculate and balance according to the same rules, so that different transformation paths can be compared and thus assessed? The clarification of these questions is urgent and important in order to be able to set the political course and give companies planning security for their investment decisions.
Following intensive committee work, the German Steel Federation WV Stahl has presented a coherent proposal for a label system A-E to define and mark green steel as a joint result of the work of the German steel industry. This takes into account the CO2-footprint of a specific product, also take transformative steps by companies towards emission reductions and make them assessable in a classification system. This enables the targeted incentive and flanking of the necessary investments for climate neutrality and the ramp-up of green steel. With its proposal, the steel industry in Germany would like to support the politically desired development of (lead) markets for climate-friendly products in Germany and the EU. WV Stahl President Mr Hans Jürgen Kerkhoff said “With its proposal for a label system for green steel, the steel industry in Germany is sending a strong signal for industrial transformation. We are thus presenting a concept on the basis of which it can be discussed in concrete terms how green lead markets can be created, which were already envisaged in the Steel Action Plan from 2020 and also in the coalition agreement. We hope that the German government will now quickly take up this impulse, discuss it with all relevant stakeholders and also bring it into the ongoing international discussions at the G-7 and within the framework of climate clubs.”Green lead markets for raw materials such as green steel are a key policy building block on the way to a climate-neutral industry. Their basic idea is to set targeted incentives for the use of green steel on the demand side as well, in order to enable the gradual conversion to climate-friendly processes, which are associated with high investment and initially even higher operating costs. This relieves the necessary state start-up funding and replaces it in the future.To achieve this, definitional questions must first be clarified: When is steel to be classified as green or climate-neutral? To what extent can investments that only lead to climate-neutral steel be credited if, in particular, sufficient green energy (electricity, hydrogen) is available? And finally: Which standards can ensure that all actors calculate and balance according to the same rules, so that different transformation paths can be compared and thus assessed? The clarification of these questions is urgent and important in order to be able to set the political course and give companies planning security for their investment decisions.
