EU GREEN STEELMAKING: Producers bring first certified green steel to the market

Steel companies ArcelorMittal and Ovako have both begun to offer the first certified "green steel", following increased scrutiny on emissions from customers, the two companies announced separately.

ArcelorMittal
ArcelorMittal Europe is offering green flat steel products using a system of certificates which are linked to the tonnes of CO2 savings achieved through the company’s investment in decarbonization technologies in Europe, and certified by independent auditor DNV GL.

The certificates can be used by customers to report an equivalent reduction in their Scope 3 emissions, which are indirect emissions coming from purchased materials, in accordance with the GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard.

The company said it achieved its first sales of certified green steel in 2020 and anticipates offering 600,000 tonnes by 2022.

It added it is clear that in order to drive the transition to net zero steelmaking, a market pull toward lower emissions steels is needed. The company said it is is innovating to respond to this rising demand for green steel from customers.

Additionally, it will commission its first Smart Carbon steelmaking technologies in Ghent next year (2022), while its first hydrogen reduction project in Hamburg will start production 2023-2025.

The company has a net zero target by 2050, aiming for a 30% CO2 reduction in Europe by 2030.

Ovako
Swedish special steel producer has published new environmental product declarations (EPDs) with independently audited environmental footprints for its products to help customers make climate-smart decisions.

The EPDs cover the full environmental impact, including the carbon footprint of hot-rolled steel bar from Ovako’s Hofors, Imatra, and Smedjebacken and Boxholm (Smebox) mills.

These declarations are based on a life cycle analysis of hot-rolled bar from the cradle to the gate. They take account of all the recycled scrap and alloying elements, transport, energy and waste products in the production process, and include all yield losses to final product.

Ovako recently reported the successful use of hydrogen to heat steel before rolling.

The new environmental declarations evaluate and present six different environmental aspects. Ovako can also offer this information to customers for each specific product purchase, based on alloy variants and further processing.

“The carbon footprint of our hot-rolled products is 80% lower than the global average. Our customers can use our steel to improve their environmental footprint and the climate profiles of their end customers, and thereby gain a competitive edge. We have a lot of customer inquiries about our carbon footprint and we believe interest will grow further,” Ovako head of sustainability and safety Katarina Kangert said.

What to read next
As CBAM and the EU ETS reshape cost structures across Europe’s automotive supply chains, OEMs are under growing pressure to protect margins while navigating opaque carbon pass-through.
A developing El Niño weather pattern is drawing fresh attention across European metals markets at a moment when the continent‘s energy infrastructure is already under acute stress – and for producers and traders in secondary aluminium and ferrous scrap, the implications are hard to ignore.
Fastmarkets has launched three weekly wheat freight rate assessments — Ukraine-Egypt, CVB-Egypt and Russia-Saudi Arabia — and has clarified that its existing Black Sea-North Africa freight assessment refers to the Russia-Egypt route and its Black Sea-Persian Gulf assessment refers to the Russia-Iran route. The Russia-Egypt assessment will also transition from Supramax to Handy-sized vessels. All changes are effective Wednesday May 20, 2026.
The four assessments will cover continental Europe and the UK, for tissue jumbo rolls made from wood pulp and recycled pulp in a basis weight range of 14.5-18.0g per square meter. The decision follows a one-month consultation period that ended on Saturday May 16. The proposed specifications are as follows: FP-TS-0009 Tissue, wood pulp jumbo rolls for […]
Alex Kershaw unpacks the recent volatility in global scrap steel markets and what is driving price movements across key regions. From the US and Europe to Turkey and China, the discussion explores how rising energy and freight costs are lifting prices despite weak steel demand.
In this short episode of Fast Forward, Alex Kershaw, senior analyst for steel, raw materials and ferrous scrap at Fastmarkets, unpacks the recent volatility in global scrap steel markets and what is driving price movements across key regions.