TÜV SÜD issues conformity statement for green strip steel from Salzgitter

Salzgitter AG adds low CO₂ steel grades to its product range
 
As Europe’s first steel producer, Salzgitter AG has obtained two conformity statements certified in line with TÜV SÜD’s VERIsteel procedure. The process provides proof of product-specific CO₂ emissions in steel production and flanks the process of decarbonization.
 
The low CO₂ steel grades are produced in Peine’s mini mill in combination with the steelworks galvanizing plant in Salzgitter. These steel grades have met with great interest from customers operating in range of different sectors.
 
Based on data from 2018, TÜV SÜD verified the carbon footprint procedures for two process routes for producing strip steel. A comparison of the two baselines shows that switching steel production process from the conventional blast furnace route to the electro-steel route achieves reductions of more than 75 % in the CO₂ footprint of slabs and more than 66 % in that of galvanized coils.
 
The mapping of all the relevant processes and material flows is required to produce evidence of product-specific CO₂ emissions. TÜV SÜD developed the VERIsteel procedure based on DIN EN ISO/IEC 17029 and other international standards specifically for this purpose. With the first two conformity statements certified to this procedure, TÜV SÜD as a provider of testing and certification services confirms the correct definition of the baseline for Salzgitter AG’s two process routes.
 
Reiner Block, CEO of Division Industry Service, TÜV SÜD AG: “Standardization is the prerequisite for establishing the comparability of processes and products. TÜV SÜD’s neutral validation and verification has provided Salzgitter AG with the basis for a sound CO₂ statement regarding its production and its products, paving the way for it to realize further stages of decarbonization in a targeted manner.”
 
Ulrich Grethe, member of the Group Management Board and Chairman of the Management Board of Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH: “We are the first European producer to obtain a conformity statement for green steel products. Many of our customers consider it important to take delivery of a real, physical reduced-CO₂ product now rather than being satisfied with more or less theoretical CO₂ footprint projections.
 
Going forward, we will be consistently pursuing the path toward decarbonization with SALCOS – SAlzgitter Low CO₂-Steelmaking. This innovation project enables us to switch entirely from conventional steel production to hydrogen- and natural gas-based processes, which enables CO₂ to be lowered by up to 95 %. The political and economic framework conditions for this to happen must be set in place as quickly as possible.”