The World Steel Association (worldsteel) reported this week on its success to date on phase 1 of its CO2 emissions data collection program, the cornerstone of a global steel sector approach to CO2 reduction as proposed by worldsteel. The group also set a stretch target to the end of the year for completion of data collection.
"Phase 1 of this data-collection program is now well underway,” said World Steel Association Director General, Ian Christmas, speaking at the group’s annual conference, which was held this week in Washington, D.C. “Over 56 of our member companies have provided data to date, representing more than 178 sites. This accounts for 32% of global steel production and 60% of worldsteel member steel production. Our target is to achieve 75% of member steel production by the end of the year."
"It is our intention that once the data is collected and verified there will be reporting on a national or regional basis by the steel industry all around the world. Over time,” continued Christmas, “we hope to show real progress by the industry in reducing our carbon dioxide emissions for every tonne of steel we produce. It is also intended that this process will enable steel companies and national and regional associations to establish targets for future commitments to reduce specific emissions. The World Steel Association will hold individual plant data completely confidential and we will be establishing a very powerful and detailed database to help our members know where they are in relation to the averages either in their region or the world."
“Every steel company and steel-producing country is at a different starting point. Our vision is that over time there will be a convergence towards best practice and this will have a material impact on our global emissions. We believe it is in the spirit of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change that there should be a set of parallel agreements between steel companies, national steel associations and their respective national or regional governments which set out commitments on improvements on steel intensity for the future," he concluded.
Commenting, Corus CEO Philippe Varin, who currently serves as Chairman of the World Steel Association Climate Change Policy Group, said: “Today the world steel industry accounts for between 4 and 5% of total man-made greenhouse gases. We make more than 1.3 billion tonnes of steel, which therefore produces over 2 billion tonnes of CO2. The challenge for us is to reduce this substantially over the next 40 years in the face of growing demand. “There are four major building blocks to the steel industry’s global sector approach, the cornerstone of which is the engagement of all the major steel producers around the world,” continued Varin. “We are working with our customers to produce even more CO2-efficient applications of steel. We are promoting best practice around the world. We are engaged in major research and development of breakthrough technology. We are committed to reducing our CO2 emissions and successful data collection will lead to benchmarking improvements based on actual performance data. Each building block involves important commitments and actions by steel companies and there are also important implications for governments in choosing the appropriate policies to support each element of our approach."
"No one should underestimate the contribution that steel can make for a more energy-efficient world," continued Varin. "Steel is not a single product; there are thousands of grades of steel and many new grades are developed each year.The applications of these new grades can lead to stronger, lighter, safer structures and passenger cars than we have had before. As an example, using Advanced High Strength Steel, about 2.2 tonnes less greenhouse gas is produced over the life cycle of a typical five-door family car. With 71 million passenger vehicles being produced annually, this would save more than 156 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents.
“The new steels can produce more energy-efficient buildings and factories,” added Varin. “Electrical steels can greatly improve the efficiency of electrical motors in reducing their energy consumption per unit of output. Steel, working with architects, industrial designers and our customers, will have a major positive contribution to moving toward a more energy-efficient world. Today, typical modern wind turbine towers of 70 meters weigh only 140 tonnes. This represents a 50% reduction in weight from using standard steel and a saving of more than 200 tonnes of CO2 for each tower compared to 10 years ago. Governments can support this by setting the appropriate regulations and standards, be it building regulations that promote carbon-neutral steel residential housing or rules for motorcars which seek to encourage the design and use of the most efficient vehicles in terms of energy over their complete life-cycle".
The World Steel Association (worldsteel, formerly known as IISI) is one of the largest and most dynamic industry associations in the world. worldsteel represents approximately 180 steel producers (including 18 of the world's 20 largest steel companies), national and regional steel industry associations, and steel research institutes. worldsteel members produce around 85% of the world's steel.
