Our projects
Decarbonising the steel sector in India
The steel sector is one of the most energy intensive and polluting sectors in the world. With demand for steel growing, the industry must find a way to produce the steel the world needs without further damaging the climate. Asia is the world’s largest steelmaking region, and India is the world’s second largest producer. It is a critical geography for the green steel transition.
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Why is it important?
10%
Global steel production is responsible for almost 10% of climate pollution
30%
Demand for steel is expected to grow 30% by 2050
2
India is the 2nd largest steelmaker in the world
2022
In 2022, the Indian Ministry of Steel announced plans to develop a green steel policy
We founded the India Green Steel Network to bring together civil society, think tanks, and the private sector to unlock the transition to greener steel in India.
The Challenges
The steel industry consumes massive amounts of coal, a key component for how steel has been made for over a century. Every tonne of steel made using traditional coal-based production generates about two tonnes of carbon pollution.
Global demand for steel is not going anywhere. In fact it is growing. Much of this growth is being driven by Asia, Africa and the Middle East. In fact, nearly all (90 per cent) of steel is manufactured in just ten countries. 70 per cent is made in Asia.
India is the world’s second largest producer of steel. And as the country continues to develop and grow, so will its demand for steel. In fact, steel production is expected to triple by 2050.
Green steel production methods exist, but they cost much more than traditional methods, or are not yet ready for commercial deployment at scale. And while there is momentum – the Indian Ministry of Steel announced plans to develop a green steel policy, and two of the country’s biggest producers signed up to the Responsible Steel Standard (an international standard for certifying green steel) – there is still a long way to go.
“We worked with Climate Catalyst on a study to assess the potential of shipbreaking as a source of scrap steel in India. Their willingness to support a project exploring a relatively untested area such as shipbreaking shows their commitment to new and promising ideas. It was a pleasure working alongside them.”
Abhas Sinha
The Climate Group
From our learning content
Learn more about reducing climate pollution in steel
Ways to get involved
Is your organisation interested in driving the transition to green steel? Learn more about the India Green Steel Network today, and work with like minded organisations to grow our collective impact.
Are you interested in increasing India’s domestic supply of scrap steel for lowering emissions from steelmaking? Contact ferth@climatecatalyst.org for more information.
Are you interested in working on green public procurement of low-carbon steel or on sustainable financing for steel decarbonisation? Contact nandan@climatecatalyst.org for more information.
New to the topic of green steel and don’t know where to start? Find everything you need to begin your journey at the Green Steel Hub