ArcelorMittal entities in Belgium, France, Luxembourg and Spain have joined the Low Emission Steel Standard (LESS), following ArcelorMittal Germany which became a founding member of the initiative in 2024. In addition, ArcelorMittal Belgium CEO Frederik Van De Velde has joined the LESS board of directors.
While LESS is a voluntary standard that supports industrial decarbonization, steel producers representing almost 45% of steel production in Europe have now joined the initiative, marking a significant step towards a unified and credible labeling system for low carbon-emissions steel in Europe.
“Today, there is no industry definition or single standard for low-carbon emissions steel. We would like to see the broad application of the Low Emission Steel Standard and for it ultimately to become the recognized standard for our industry, backed by producers, customers and regulators. Having a unified standard is vital to making progress in the decarbonization of our industry. An important next step needs to be binding sustainability criteria in public projects, to boost the use of low-carbon emission steels and to create green lead markets which are vital.”
ArcelorMittal sold 400,000 tonnes of its XCarb® steel in 2024, with sales expected to further increase this year. A wide range of ArcelorMittal products are already available as XCarb®, either as XCarb recycled and renewably produced (manufactured in an EAF using renewable electricity and a high proportion of recycled steel) or XCarb® steel certificates, which can be bought alongside a purchase of physical steel. The certificates are issued by ArcelorMittal and based on CO2 savings which have been audited by an independent body.