SteelZero publications

Commitment Framework v1.2 (December 2025)

Following consultation with our members, we've updated our commitment framework. This document guides the updated criteria and pathways through which steel procured can qualify as meeting our 2030 interim commitment:

Long-term commitment: Commitment to [procuring/specifying/stocking] 100% of steel requirement as net zero steel by 2050, at the latest.

Interim commitment: Commitment to [procuring/specifying/stocking] a minimum of 50% of steel requirement by 2030, meeting one or a combination of the following conditions: 

1. Steel produced by a steelmaking site where the steelmaker has a science-based emissions target.
2. ‘Lower emission steel’ (aligning with ResponsibleSteel Decarbonisation Progress Level 2)

The need for consistent reporting standards in steel decarbonisation (October 2025)

Consistent reporting standards are essential to ensure that claims of “green steel” reflect genuine emissions reductions.

In this paper, SteelZero highlights the opportunities and risks of using mass balance accounting in steel production, such as how inconsistent application of the method can inflate emissions reduction claims and undermine trust in the transition to net zero.

Key findings include:

• The need for consistent, transparent reporting to ensure mass balance approaches support - rather than weaken - credible decarbonisation.
• The importance of focusing on Chain-of-Custody (CoC) models that provide a clear and verifiable link between lower emission inputs and steel products.
• The call for clear principles - integrity, additionality, and traceability - to underpin any credible use of mass balance.

The paper provides guidance for industry stakeholders and policymakers to strengthen transparency and accelerate genuine progress toward a net zero steel sector.

The role of scrap in steel decarbonisation (April 2025)

Scrap steel has an important role to play in lowering global emissions from steel production - but it won’t be enough on its own.

A new briefing paper jointly authored by Climate Group’s SteelZero initiative, the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE), and the British Constructional Steelwork Association (BCSA) explores the limits and opportunities of scrap in global steel decarbonisation. Key findings from the report include:

• The need to maximise scrap use while recognising its limits to decarbonise the global industry and meet future steel demand
• The need to drive a dual decarbonisation approach focusing on both scrap-based and new iron-based steelmaking
• Recommendations for policymakers and designers and specifiers to adopt to drive global steel decarbonisation

Turning the Tide: Ship Recycling as a Source of Green Steel in India (December 2024)

This report presents an analysis of how India’s ship recycling sector can facilitate and expedite steel decarbonisation and assesses whether the sector can adequately supplement domestic scrap supply and promote circular economy principles. The report’s objectives are:

• Assessing the volume of high-quality scrap steel generated through ship recycling, with a focus on how it can support the steel industry’s sustainability goals.
• Evaluating the extent to which ship recycling can facilitate circular economy practices, especially through upcycling of steel recovered from decommissioned vessels into high-value products.
• Providing a scenario-based projection of India’s position in the global ship recycling market and recommending policy and capacity enhancements based on stakeholder consultations.

Getting to SteelZero: Pathways to Decarbonisation for Government and Industry (November 2024)

This policy report outlines key strategies and recommendations for policymakers aiming to drive the transition to a net zero steel industry. Highlighting the critical role of government in accelerating this transition, it offers the reader a comprehensive yet accessible roadmap.

Inside, you'll find:

• Practical pathways for steel decarbonisation, including regulatory reforms, green procurement strategies, and the creation of market incentives to reduce emissions from steel production.
• Insight into the power of collaboration and the role of governments in shaping market dynamics to foster a low-carbon future.
• A focus on the urgent need for clear, consistent environmental data standards and the alignment of policy with market forces to unlock the investments necessary for change.
• This report offers the tools needed to help policymakers navigate and accelerate the decarbonisation of the steel industry, contributing to a more sustainable, green future.

The Steel and Concrete Transformation: 2024 market outlook on lower emission steel and concrete report (September 2024)

This report, jointly published by Climate Group and Ramboll, reveals nearly half of companies surveyed globally are ready to pay a premium for lower emission steel and concrete. With steel and concrete production accounting for 15% of global emissions, their urgent decarbonisation is critical to achieving our climate goals and protecting our planet for generations to come.

Key highlights:

• Research indicates growing momentum for green corporate procurement.
• Respondents stated there were key barriers, such as cost, industry conservatism, and lack of knowledge, to green procurement which need to be overcome.
• Businesses were clear that governments have a significant role to play in supporting them, with financial levers, carbon pricing, and minimum product standards or embodied carbon limits among those seen as most critical.
• There are encouraging signs that businesses expect the transition towards lower emission materials to be inevitable, with 78% of respondents stating they expect lower emission steel and concrete will be standard materials for new products or projects within the next decade.

India Net Zero Steel Demand Outlook Report (January 2023)

This report gives a deep dive into the sectors driving domestic consumption of net zero steel in India and the factors which will drive this demand in the coming decade.

The report also highlights the economic and decarbonisation opportunities available to Indian steelmakers today and makes a case for the adoption of low carbon technologies for steel production.

Policy Principles to Speed Up the Global Transition to Net Zero Steel (May 2022)

The SteelZero global policy positions sets out the six clear policy principles that governments must adopt to support the global decarbonisation of the steel industry.

The report calls on government decision makers to:

• Promote a global standard and definition on what low emission and net zero steel is
• Support the public sector in using low emission and net zero steel in current and future projects
• Get businesses to measure and report on the carbon emissions associated with the steel they use
• Encourage better use of steel in the first place while ensuring that steel can be easily recycled
• Set expectations on what's needed from steelmakers to drastically cut carbon emissions
• Create a level playing field for net zero steel in global markets.