As EU policymakers debate how to certify low-carbon steel, Sandbag’s new briefing analyses the “sliding scale” method — and outlines why it may hinder rather than help decarbonisation. A new model is proposed based on product-specific benchmarks, multi-tier ratings, and circularity incentives.
As Europe seeks to decarbonise its steel industry, a new Sandbag report highlights an overlooked solution: high-quality scrap steel from retired ships. With up to 15 million tonnes of certified scrap available annually, ship recycling could meet 20% of EU steel scrap demand — if policy gaps are addressed.
Sandbag welcomes the Circular Economy Act (CEA) as an important step to accelerate the transition to a circular economy in the EU. Progress in this area has been slow and this act is sorely needed to address systemic issues holding back circularity, including the current fragmented approaches across Member States.
Sandbag’s response to the EU’s Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act sets out four principles to guide green steel labelling schemes, promoting credible standards based on lifecycle emissions and system-wide decarbonisation.
A joint letter from 30+ NGOs warns that coal-based steel could be falsely labelled as green under proposed “mass balance” rules. The signatories call for traceable, credible emissions data in steel standards.
A new joint statement urges the EU to set binding targets for recycled steel use in cars, citing the climate benefits of secondary steel and the need to reduce demand for high-emission imports.
The EU has around 286 million motor vehicles, and every year, 6.5 million of these are scrapped. If the steel scrap from these end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) is not managed well, valuable resources are lost, harming the environment.
Electrification and flexibility are critical to decarbonising both industrial and electricity systems. But what happens when we combine the two? Industrial flexibility will play an increasingly important role as industry moves towards electrification.
This brief analyses 2023 emissions under the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), using the latest data available from the EU Transaction Log (EUTL) . It particularly focuses on the iron and steel sector.
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