LESS was developed by the German Steel Association and its member companies and is flanked by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK). This label for low- emission steel is based on the results of the broad stakeholder process “Lead markets for climate-friendly basic materials” carried out by the BMWK.
Bernhard Osburg, President of the German Steel Association, emphasizes the importance of clear rules, definitions, and verifiable standards for the success of the transformation of the steel industry: “The steel industry wants to develop a market for climate-friendly steel in order to replace public funding for our transformation as quickly as possible. For this purpose, our efforts in decarbonising our production sites have to be made visible, comparable and measurable. The definition of green steel has long been subject of intense debate worldwide. I am delighted that, by joint forces, we have succeeded in developing a widely agreed solution based on international standards which we are now putting into practice. This will provide steel clients with all the information they need to achieve their CO2 reduction targets with the help of low-emission steel.”
Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck says: “The new LESS label is an important and welcomed initiative by the German steel industry for sustainable standards and better comparability in transformation efforts. Sustainable labels are key in creating transparency and incentives for climate-friendly materials and products on the market. The new standard is the result of a broad BMWK stakeholder process together with industry, science, and politics on definitions for climate-friendly basic materials, including steel
– and it is widely supported by the industry.”
LESS as a driver for transformation
LESS is the first standard in one of the world’s largest steel-producing countries that is supported by both routes of steel production: the conventional blast furnace route in the transition to low-emission hydrogen-based production processes as well as the already relatively low-emission electric arc furnace route. The companies of both routes are endeavouring to take further steps towards decarbonisation. LESS enables clients to compare the decarbonisation efforts of both routes. The aim of LESS is to accelerate this transformation to climate neutrality using market-based rules. LESS highlights both the status of the transformation and the transformative efforts undertaken on the path to “near-zero” steel across all process routes.
