Climate Protection at Salzgitter AG

The Salzgitter Group is taking responsibility for limiting the challenges posed by climate change.

Our climate targets underscore our efforts to reduce negative impacts on climate change: With its validated targets, Salzgitter AG is one of the first steel producers to be on track for the 1.5-degree target set out in the Paris Climate Agreement in accordance with the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). In developing our SBTi targets, we applied the sector-specific decarbonization approach developed by the initiative specifically for the steel industry. Our short-term climate targets for 2028 reflect our confidence in our transformation and are also important milestones in the Group's strategy. The Scope 3 targets extend our commitment to reducing CO2e emissions along the value chain. In the long term, Salzgitter AG aims to achieve its net-zero target for total CO2e emissions along the value chain by 2050 at the latest.

We are currently implementing the first stage of our SALCOS® transformation program. Once fully implemented, we will be technically capable of reducing our CO2e emissions by around 95%. Thanks to the modular design of SALCOS®, we can flexibly adapt the further transformation steps to changing market conditions and economic policy framework.

Our goal is to complete the full transformation by the mid-2030s. Provided that the external conditions are in place by then—in particular, competitive production using renewable electricity and green hydrogen—we are confident that we will be able to achieve the net-zero target well before 2050.

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Our Science Based Targets

Our Science Based Targets (SBTi objectives) are divided into the following categories: “Short-term”, “Long-term” and “Net Zero”.

The target requirements and formulations, as well as the minimum reduction requirements and reporting thresholds, are prescribed by the standards and tools of the Science Based Target Initiative. With a view to the targeted tracking of our progress on the elected 1.5°C climate course, we have set ourselves four short-term SBTi objectives. 

These short-term SBTi objectives each cover different greenhouse gas emissions (GHG emissions), subdivided according to the scopes and categories of the overall Corporate Carbon Footprint for the base year 2021. Consequently, each objective has its own individual assessment boundary, without any overlapping.

Short-term objectives
  • Salzgitter AG undertakes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in areas 1, 2 and 3, which fall below the assessment boundary for the iron and steel industry, by 20 % per ton of hot formed steel by 2028, taking 2021 as the base year. Because the calculation of this objective is dependent on the scrap quota projection, Salzgitter AG will publish the scrap quota associated with this objective on an annual basis, starting from the base year.

    Explanation: This objective is subject to the methodology stipulated by the SBTi “Iron & Steel” directive. It includes all direct emissions from metallurgical processes and hot forming. In addition, the emissions for the supply of semi-finished steels that have not yet undergone any hot forming and the oxygen production for the calcination of lime are also included. This objective therefore covers 95 % of the entire Scope 1 & 2 emissions of the Salzgitter Group.
     
  • Salzgitter AG also undertakes to reduce all other absolute Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions within the same time period by 35.6 %.

    Explanation: This objective refers to the absolute reduction of the Scope 1 & 2 emissions from our “Technology” Business Unit. This is a voluntary objective that reflects the climate protection efforts made by our subsidiary companies in this area.
     
  • Salzgitter AG also undertakes to reduce all other Scope 3 GHG emissions resulting from purchased goods and services as well as emissions from fuel and energy-related activities, waste management, the use of products sold and investments within the same period by 20 %.

    Explanation: This objective covers around 75 % of our entire Scope 3 GHG emissions. In particular, objectives are defined for the emissions from our trading activities with externally procured goods and those in conjunction with the utilization phase of our plants and machines from the “Technology” business area.
     
  • Finally, Salzgitter AG undertakes to reduce the absolute Scope 3 GHG emissions from the use of products sold that cover fossil fuels within this same period by 33.6 %.

    Explanation: This objective focuses on the Scope 3 emissions during the utilization phase of our fossil-based commercial goods. This refers to our commercial activities with regard to coal and coal products.
Long-term objectives
  • Salzgitter AG undertakes to reduce the absolute Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions by 90 % by 2045, based on 2021 as the base year.
  • Salzgitter AG also undertakes to reduce the absolute Scope 3 GHG emissions by 90 % by 2050, based on 2021 as the base year.

    Explanation: We decided in favor of two long-term SBTi objectives, addressing Scope 1 & 2 and Scope 3 as two separate areas of focus with different target years. We are adopting a tailored approach, since we have a more direct influence over our Scope 1 & 2 emissions and are therefore less dependent on international framework conditions and market developments as is the case with our Scope 3 emissions.
Overall Net Zero objective
  • Salzgitter AG undertakes to achieve Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions along the entire value chain by 2050.

    Declaration: We will have achieved the Net Zero objective upon fulfillment of our final long-term objective. We will have then neutralized all remaining GHG emissions (< 10 % across all Scopes).

Further information on the Science Based Targets Initiative can be found here.

Measures in the area of climate protection

The majority of the Salzgitter Group’s climate-impacting emissions arise from the use of carbon-based reducing agents in the blast furnaces of our integrated steel mill. Consequently, the SALCOS® program takes the direct avoidance of these CO2 emissions as its starting point (Carbon Direct Avoidance).

Since 2015, Salzgitter Flachstahl has been joining forces with partners from the fields of industry and research to achieve the transition from coal-based steel production using the conventional blast furnace process to almost CO2-free steel production at the Group’s foundry site. This is enabled by means of hydrogen-powered direct reduction plants in which iron ore is reduced to iron, directly into its solid state, using flexible mixtures of hydrogen and natural gas. With this technology, we are steadily increasing the quantity of water vapor that is emitted in place of CO2. We are currently implementing the first stage of our SALCOS® transformation program. Once the transformation is fully complete, we will be technically capable of reducing our CO2e emissions by around 95 percent. More information on SALCOS® is available under SALCOS® – Low-CO2 Steelmaking Program.

In addition to the avoidance of direct Co2e emissions, we are also actively promoting the reduction of our energy-related emissions. To this end, we rely intensively on the procurement of third-party electricity from renewable sources.

Our Decarbonization approach

Our SBTi goals are an expression of our decarbonization approach that rests on four cornerstones:

Science based

Our targets are based on globally recognized scientific insights for meeting the 1.5°C target in the Paris Climate Agreement.

Performance-driven

To achieve our targets, we pursue measures to directly avoid CO2e emissions, focusing on our goals in the sustainable decarbonization of every business unit.

Holistic

We take account of both our direct impact and that of the upstream and downstream value chain at home and abroad. In particular, we focus on the sustainable procurement of goods and on reducing CO2e emissions over the use phase of our machinery.

Transparent

We are aware that transparency is an important element of trust and credibility. For that reason, we regularly communicate our progress and invite our stakeholders to engage in dialog.

Contact us

Simon Kroop

Senior ESG Manager

Eren Yapmis

ESG Manager

Friederike Mack

Sustainability Reporting Manager

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Annual Report 2025
(incl. Sustainability Statement)