The steel industry has recently started offering customers and policymakers a consistent classification system for steel produced with virtually zero emissions: The Low Emission Steel Standard (LESS) is a comparative six-level classification system. It transparently classifies steel manufacturing processes into six categories based on scrap content and CO2 emissions. The respective end products are also assigned a CO2 footprint, which can be determined according to various standards.

The first verifications have now been issued by LESS AISBL (Association Internationale Sans But Lucratif, a non-profit association under Belgian law). Among others, the production routes of four companies of the Salzgitter Group have been classified: Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH, Peiner Träger GmbH, Salzgitter Mannesmann Grobblech GmbH, and Ilsenburger Grobblech GmbH.

The LESS scale starts at “E” but does not end, as might be expected, at ‘A’ (low emissions), but at the challenging category “near zero” for steel produced with virtually no emissions. In this way, LESS makes it possible to measure the progress of the transformation of the classified production route.

CO2-reduced products from the Salzgitter Group have been marketed under the SALCOS brand for some time. An essential part of the product promise is that SALCOS products meet at least the “C” classification according to LESS. This promise has now been confirmed externally with the classifications, with some SALCOS products with ‘A’ and “B” classifications significantly exceeding the minimum requirements set by the company itself.

Marcus Lippe, Head of Technical Customer Service at Peiner Träger GmbH: “We are delighted to now be able to supply our customers with SALCOS Structural Steel products classified according to LESS and are particularly proud to even have products with an ‘A’ classification in our range.” SALCOS products already available today are still based on scrap-based crude steel from Peiner production. However, from the first half of 2027, CO2-reduced crude steel for SALCOS products will also be produced at the Salzgitter site. Here, the direct reduction process for processing ores using hydrogen-containing gases in combination with an electric arc furnace will be used.

"With the excellent classifications our SALCOS products have received, the Salzgitter Group is underlining its pioneering role in industrial transformation. We have done our homework. With these certifications now in place, the steel industry has created the conditions for the introduction of green lead markets. These should help to bring CO2-reduced raw materials into the various value chains quickly and comprehensively. With the same determination, the political course must now also be set for these lead markets in order to make the transformation of the industry a success," demands Gunnar Groebler, CEO of Salzgitter AG.

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