Achieving carbon-neutral steelmaking

Our ambition in ArcelorMittal Europe is to be a carbon-neutral steelmaker by 2050, in line with the terms of the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change. We have announced this ambition in the group’s first-ever Climate Action Report, in which ArcelorMittal Europe’s leadership in reducing our carbon footprint is outlined.

But the report does more than stating our ambitions; it tells the story of how we think the steel sector can decarbonise.

As a company, we are actively testing new technologies and exploring low emission steelmaking techniques which will help us meet our carbon-neutral ambition.

• In Gent, we’re progressing with our project to revolutionise blast furnace carbon emissions capture, by making bioethanol from carbon off-gases produced during the steelmaking process. 
• In Dunkirk, we’re working on a project to capture waste CO₂ from the blast furnace and convert it into a synthetic gas that can be reinjected into the blast furnace in place of fossil fuels to reduce iron ore.
• And in ArcelorMittal’s Long Products plant in Hamburg, we’re building an industrial scale pilot plant to use hydrogen in the direct reduction of iron ore.

In short, we’re exploring the full range of possible technology pathways, depending on which becomes the most viable in the countries and regions where we operate.

For our business, it shows a credible commitment to meeting the objectives of the Paris Agreement.

To ensure we fulfil our carbon-neutral ambition by 2050, we are also asking for the support of regulators, technology partners, investors, and society to achieve that goal.