A coalition of steel companies and industry partners founded by Nucor Corporation, a steel products manufacturer and SFIA member, released a draft global standard to measure and report carbon emissions from steel companies. The Steel Climate Standard, which was developed by the Global Steel Climate Council, offers a single, technology-neutral protocol that would apply equally to all steel producers globally.
“Using a single standard that is ambitious, auditable, inclusive and transparent is needed to accelerate further greenhouse gas emission reductions in our industry and to drive investment in lower emission technology,” said Leon Topalian, chair, president and CEO of Nucor Corporation.
Circular Steelmaking: GHG Emissions Cut in Half
Nucor produces steel by recycling scrap metal in electric arc furnaces, also known as circular steelmaking.Circular steelmaking has a greenhouse gas emissions intensity less than half the global average and one-third the average blast furnace steel production.
“Nucor is one of the cleanest steel producers in the world and the North American leader in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the steel industry,” Topalian said.
Global Steel Climate CouncilThe Global Steel Climate Council is an international group of steel manufacturers, associations and other organizations in the steel supply chain that have a presence in 79 countries around the world. The Council was formed to urge the United States and European Union to adopt a global emissions standard that incentivizes steelmakers to use the cleanest steel production processes available.
Nucor Corporation and Steel Dynamics, Inc., both members of the Steel Framing Industry Association, are among the founding members of the GSCC.
Nucor: First to Report Scope 3 Emissions
Last year, Nucor achieved its lowest Scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG intensity in company history. Nucor was the first steel company in North America to report Scope 3 emissions.
“The bottom line is that customers using steel from a recycled source are choosing to reduce the world’s greenhouse gas emissions by a factor of two to four,” said Greg Murphy, executive vice president of business services and general counsel at Nucor Corporation, and chair of the GSCC. “We have competitors making investments now to reduce their emissions in the future to levels Nucor already achieves today.”
Energy Standards for Building EnvelopesThe Standards Council of the American Iron and Steel Institute formed a new group responsible for the ongoing development of AISI S250, North American Standard for Thermal Transmittance of Building Envelopes With Cold-Formed Steel Framing.
AISI S250-21 is a single source for calculating the thermal transmittance (U-factors) of walls and ceiling/roof envelope assemblies that contain cold-formed steel framing.
Thermal performance is increasingly influencing material selection in building design and construction. The work of this committee will ensure that cold-formed steel is a viable option for those targeting advanced or net-zero buildings by 2030.
Technology Exists Today to Reduce Global Emissions
There are several organizations and companies proposing global emissions standards for the steel industry, in addition to GSCC. Some proposals include applying different standards for blast furnace steel producers and EAF steel producers.
A dual standard that favors higher-emitting extractive steelmaking technology at the expense of lower embodied carbon steel would delay making meaningful emission reductions in the steel sector.
“Steel is a critical material for our infrastructure, automotive, energy systems and overall economy,” said Murphy. “The technology exists today to make significant reductions in global emissions from the steel industry, and Nucor is living proof of this.”
“That is why we believe it is common sense to use a single steel standard that is focused on actual embodied carbon emissions and does not favor one technology over another,” said Murphy.
To review the standard and make comments please visit https://globalsteelclimatecouncil.org/the-standard/.
Nucor Joins UN Carbon-Free Energy Global Compact
In 2022, Nucor announced it joined the United Nations 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Global Compact. Nucor is the first major industrial company to join the compact, which is aimed at accelerating the decarbonization of the world’s electricity systems to mitigate climate change and ensure access to clean and affordable electricity.
The Compact was formed in response to the urgent need to drive rapid decarbonization across the global economy. A group of energy buyers, energy suppliers, governments, system operators, solutions providers, investors and other organizations joined together to adopt, enable and advance the transition to a zero-carbon electrical grid. The Compact is a set of principles and actions that stakeholders across the energy ecosystem can commit to in order to drive systemic change.
About Nucor
Nucor and its affiliates are manufacturers of steel and steel products, with operating facilities in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Products produced include: carbon and alloy steel — in bars, beams, sheet and plate; hollow structural section tubing; electrical conduit; steel racking; steel piling; steel joists and joist girders; steel deck; fabricated concrete reinforcing steel; cold finished steel; precision castings; steel fasteners; metal building systems; insulated metal panels; steel grating; and wire and wire mesh.
Nucor, through The David J. Joseph Company, also brokers ferrous and nonferrous metals, pig iron and hot briquetted iron / direct reduced iron; supplies ferro-alloys; and processes ferrous and nonferrous scrap. Nucor is North America’s largest recycler.
Additional Resources
- Nucor Ecospan® System Featured in $20-million Mixed-Use Project
- Nucor to Build Sheet Mill in West Virginia, Acquires California Steel Industries
- Steel Industry Pushes Toward Net-Zero Energy Target