The world’s steelmakers need a makeover. Their industry is one of the dirtiest, and it’s blamed for about 7% of global carbon emissions.
At the moment, the manufacturing processes of the biggest producers are doing the same old fashion and now they face a reckoning.
With the planet’s viability at stake because of global warming, producers know they must adapt to survive in a low-carbon future.
Sweden’s SSAB AB, with operations from Alabama to Shanghai, partnered with utility Vattenfall AB and miner LKAB to produce the first fossil-free steel by substituting green hydrogen for coal.
Deliveries of the clean metal started in August, with customers including Volvo Group, Mercedes-Benz AG and Cargotec Oyj of Finland.
Hybrit is a venture between the companies, who are spending 2 billion Swedish Kronor ($232 million) on a trial run through 2024.