Proposed protocol for a single low-carbon steel standard

The Global Steel Climate Council (GSCC) released a draft of The Climate-Sustaining Steel Standard, a global standard to measure and report steel carbon emissions. Trinity Consultants was instrumental in developing the standard in conjunction with GSCC members by expanding their understanding of sustainability strategies and compliance with "green" standards.

Trinity has partnered with several steel manufacturers with ongoing project engagements and has transferred this knowledge and experience to the process of developing a global standard on measuring carbon emissions. The standard offers a single, technology-agnostic protocol that would apply to all steel producers equally on a global basis and would enable steel customers to know the amount of carbon in their purchased steel products.

GSCC is inviting interested organizations to review The Climate-Sustaining Steel Standard and submit comments by May 17, 2023. The full text of the document and guidelines on submitting comments can be found at: https://globalsteelclimatecouncil.org

"Trinity Consultants is proud to have helped facilitate the creation of a true global standard through the collaboration of  a diverse group of steel manufacturers and other members in the steel industry. Creating a science-based emissions standard centered on actual emissions will provide transparency and incentivize actions to decrease carbon emissions." said Jay Hoffman, President/CEO, Trinity Consultants.

GSCC is one of several groups advocating for a global standard. Some in the United States and Europe are promoting a standard that features a "ferrous scrap usage sliding scale" – one standard for steel made from extractive production processes and another for steel made from circular processes.

"Steel companies and associations from around the world have come together to develop a standard that will enable our industry to reduce carbon emissions and encourage investments in lower emission technology as part of the global effort to decarbonize," said Greg Murphy, Executive Vice President, Nucor Corporation, and chair of the GSCC.

Decarbonization and sustainability strategies have gained traction within the steel and infrastructure industries, and a shared standard can ensure  advancement in collaboration and production. The GSCC standard's product intensity goals for the steel industry are based on the International Energy Agency's (IEA) carbon budget for the iron and steel sector, which is aligned with the 1.5°C scenario for net zero emissions by 2050.

"Steel is essential for our economies, including the world's essential infrastructure. This new standard will accelerate the actual reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and provide key decisionmakers with accurate data to make informed decisions," said Mark D. Millett, Chairman and CEO of Steel Dynamics, Chairman of the Steel Manufacturers Association, and a founding member of the Council.

GSCC's proposed standard is comprised of two main components: (1) a certification criterion that allows customers to know if the steel they are buying is produced in alignment with the glidepath to achieve the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement; and (2) a corporate-wide, science-based target-setting framework based on a 1.5-degree glidepath. The GSCC standard would measure all key greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) pollutants from Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. Producers would have to report independent verification of their emissions and reduction targets.