SUSTAINABILITY SQUARED
WHEN TWO LARGE CORPORTATIONS PURSUE THE SAME CLIMATE GOALS
It is self-evident that the steel industry is closely interwoven with the automotive industry, and the best common denominator emerges when both industries rely on green steel. A great example of this is how voestalpine has been supplying Mercedes-Benz AG with high-quality steel for several years. One of the biggest highlights of this business partnership is the circular economy in which premium steel is supplied to Germany on the railway in the interest of climate protection. Iron scrap from the press shop is returned to voestalpine by train as well. Sustainable supply is maintained in that the scrap is sorted and returned to the production cycle. Beginning in 2027, Mercedes will receive steel from carbon-reduced production in the new electric arc furnace in Linz.
COOPERATION WITH GREEN TURBO
Mercedes-Benz AG and voestalpine are partnering as two globally active companies that are both dedicated to ambitious climate protection goals. With greentec steel, voestalpine will gradually transition to green steel production using electric arc furnaces at its Linz and Donawitz locations by 2027. The German premium car manufacturer aims to achieve a carbon-neutral fleet of new vehicles by 2039 based on the company’s "Ambition 2039" initiative. Among other partners, voestalpine was brought on board in an effort to achieve this objective. In this decade alone, more than 200,000 tons of carbon-reduced steel will be processed annually in the company-owned press shops. That is a very big number!
A NOTEWORTHY ACCOMPLISHMENT: CARBON NEUTRALITY IN LESS THAN 30 YEARS
This sends a clear signal for change throughout the entire steel industry in Europe. voestalpine is considered a pioneer and has been successfully working on this goal for many years. With greentec steel, voestalpine has already begun implementation of a full-cycle roadmap for green steel production. This strengthens the position of voestalpine as a pioneer in environmental and climate protection. Carbon-neutral steel production by 2050 is a very ambitious goal. It doesn’t get any greener than that!
I would love to own a new car made of greentec steel. Did you know that conventional steel contributes up to 20 percent of the total carbon emitted during the production of an electric car? This is precisely why it is essential to process as much carbon-reduced steel as possible. The people at voestalpine make it possible!
Stella Sustainable, Sustainability expert