Climate, industry organizations launch ‘Race to Green Steel’ to help automakers procure low-emission steel
Adopting low-emission steel, which would increase the price of a car only $100–$200 on average, would cut embodied emissions from cars by 30%–50%
Ariana Criste, Senior Communications Strategist
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, February 14th, 2024
Climate, industry organizations launch ‘Race to Green Steel’ to help automakers procure low-emission steel
Adopting low-emission steel, which would increase the price of a car only $100–$200 on average, would cut embodied emissions from cars by 30%–50%
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, a coalition of climate and industrial organizations launched Race to Green Steel, a campaign to educate and support automakers in procuring low-emissions steel. Primary steel (which is currently essential for high-strength components of cars) represents 90% of steel industry emissions globally due to its reliance on burning coal.
“It’s not a matter of if, but when, the first car made with green steel will reach the market in the United States,” said Jon Gordon, Deputy Director at CALSTART’s Green Steel Program. “Whether an automaker is just getting started assessing the environmental impacts of its supply chain materials or actively pursuing partnerships with companies developing nascent clean energy technologies, we’re ready to help them progress on the race to green steel.”
Race To Green Steel is a collaborative effort between Industrious Labs, CALSTART’s Green Steel Program, International Council on Clean Transportation, and Climate Group. The campaign seeks to educate automakers on the health and climate benefits of green primary steelmaking and navigate existing programs focused on setting targets and procuring low-emissions or near-zero emissions steel, such as the SteelZero initiative from Climate Group and Sustainable Steel Buyers Platform from RMI.
Today’s launch will be followed by a webinar hosted by CALSTART on Wednesday, February 21, at 1:00 PM ET/10:00 AM PT. In this webinar, Race to Green Steel members will be joined by Volvo Group to discuss the impact of decarbonizing auto industry supply chains.
“There is clear corporate desire to move towards lower emissions products, which is why more than 3 million metric tons of near-zero emissions steel is already in demand by the auto industry by 2030. This number still needs to grow, which is why we need initiatives like R2GS,” said Chathu Gamage, Principal at RMI. “The Sustainable Steel Buyers Platform is excited to see the momentum and support R2GS to provide an environment for automakers to increase their ambition, work towards offtake and meet collective climate objectives.”
Steelmaking today comprises roughly 7% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions and is a major source of air and water pollution due to its reliance on coal-burning blast furnaces. Automakers can slash 30–50% of the embodied emissions in their vehicles and deliver cleaner air for local communities by encouraging their steel suppliers, including U.S. primary steelmakers Cleveland-Cliffs and U.S. Steel, to invest in the latest clean steelmaking technologies.
“By purchasing fossil-free, American-made steel, automakers can deliver cleaner air, slash supply chain emissions, and grow family-sustaining jobs,” concluded Maricela Gutierrez, Senior Strategist at Industrious Labs. “Automakers have an amazing opportunity to position themselves as industry leaders. We’re excited to work alongside this industry on their Race to Green Steel.”
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More Information: https://RaceToGreenSteel.com