Steelmaking sits at the center of climate and competitiveness pressures, shaping jobs, local air quality, and energy systems across industrial hubs. On this page, you’ll see how the sector’s emissions footprint and waste profile connect to practical levers—from coal-based blast furnaces and efficiency gains of recovered heat to NOx and SO2 controls. We also cover monitoring and reporting under EU ETS and trade rules like CBAM, and what they mean for future investment choices.
Key Takeaways
- Energy is the largest controllable operating cost in steelmaking; energy costs can represent roughly 20%–40% of steel production costs depending on region and process (cost share range)
- Steelmaking can generate around 0.8–1.2 tonnes of waste per tonne of crude steel in certain plant operations (waste generation range)
- Waste heat recovery projects in steel can improve overall energy efficiency by 5%–15% (efficiency from recovered heat)
- Steel production contributed about 7% of global industrial energy-related greenhouse gas emissions in 2020
- Nearly all (about 98%) blast furnaces and integrated steelworks use coal-based processes rather than direct reduction routes (global structure figure)
- In 2022, 9.7% of global crude steel capacity was based on electric arc furnaces (trend level)
- The share of scrap in steelmaking is projected to increase to about 30% by 2050 in many scenarios (scrap availability trend)
- EU steel producers must meet quarterly monitoring and reporting obligations under EU ETS rules for installations (compliance practice measure)
- Electric arc furnaces can be up to 60%–70% more energy efficient than basic oxygen furnace primary routes when run with modern scrap-based practice (energy efficiency comparison)
- In the European cementitious sector, clinker substitution rates of 15%–30% are shown to reduce CO2; by analogy, similar material-efficiency improvements are a key abatement lever in steel value chains (industrial decarbonization lever quantified)
- SCR (selective catalytic reduction) can reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions by about 70%–90% in combustion sources used in steel plants
- The global steel market size was about $1.8 trillion in 2023 (industry estimate)
- The EU CBAM requires reporting of embedded emissions for covered goods starting in a transition period in 2023
Steel’s biggest levers are cutting energy waste and emissions, alongside investing in cleaner processes and monitoring.
Related reading
01 · Category
Cost Analysis9 stats
01
Energy is the largest controllable operating cost in steelmaking; energy costs can represent roughly 20%–40% of steel production costs depending on region and process (cost share range)
02
Steelmaking can generate around 0.8–1.2 tonnes of waste per tonne of crude steel in certain plant operations (waste generation range)
03
Waste heat recovery projects in steel can improve overall energy efficiency by 5%–15% (efficiency from recovered heat)
04
CCUS retrofit costs for heavy industries can be on the order of €60–€120 per tonne of CO2 avoided (cost-effectiveness range in reports)
05
$11.8 billion in total announced investment commitments for low-carbon steel and related decarbonization projects was reported globally in 2023 (commitments total)
06
Hydrogen procurement cost is a major component of green steel cost; electrolytic hydrogen cost targets of about $1–$2 per kg are used in many pathway models (cost target used in industry roadmaps)
07
Iron ore prices averaged about $120–$130 per tonne in 2023 (benchmark for raw-material cost)
08
Natural gas price volatility materially affects direct reduction economics; in 2022 European TTF prices averaged about €80–€100 per MWh (input cost reference)
09
Electrification and digital optimization can reduce energy cost per tonne by around 2%–8% in industrial deployments (cost savings benchmark)
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
From a cost analysis perspective, energy and hydrogen are key drivers with energy often making up roughly 20% to 40% of steel production costs and electrolytic hydrogen targeted at about $1 to $2 per kg, while efficiency gains from waste heat recovery of 5% to 15% and CCUS retrofit costs around €60 to €120 per tonne of CO2 avoided offer measurable cost levers for decarbonization.
02 · Category
Emissions & Intensity6 stats
01
Steel production contributed about 7% of global industrial energy-related greenhouse gas emissions in 2020
02
Nearly all (about 98%) blast furnaces and integrated steelworks use coal-based processes rather than direct reduction routes (global structure figure)
03
7% of global industrial energy-related greenhouse-gas emissions are attributable to steel (2020)
04
93% of global industrial energy-related greenhouse-gas emissions are attributable to non-steel sources (2020)
05
7% of global industrial energy-related greenhouse-gas emissions are attributable to steel (2020) — series point for emissions comparison
06
93% of global industrial energy-related greenhouse-gas emissions are attributable to non-steel sources (2020) — series point for emissions comparison
Interpretation
Emissions & Intensity Interpretation
In the Emissions and Intensity category, steel accounted for about 7% of global industrial energy related greenhouse gas emissions in 2020, and with roughly 98% of blast furnaces and integrated steelworks still relying on coal based processes, the industry’s emissions intensity remains tightly linked to fossil fuel use.
report visual · Breakdown
Steel vs. Non-steel Share of Industrial Emissions (2020)
In 2020, steel accounts for the smaller share of global industrial energy-related greenhouse-gas emissions (leader is non-steel) with a dominant 93% from non-steel sources—leaving
7%
7% of global industrial energy-related greenhouse-gas emissions are attributable to steel (2020)
93%
93% of global industrial energy-related greenhouse-gas emissions are attributable to non-steel sources (2020)
source-verifiedourworldindata.org2020
03 · Category
Industry Trends5 stats
01
In 2022, 9.7% of global crude steel capacity was based on electric arc furnaces (trend level)
02
The share of scrap in steelmaking is projected to increase to about 30% by 2050 in many scenarios (scrap availability trend)
03
EU steel producers must meet quarterly monitoring and reporting obligations under EU ETS rules for installations (compliance practice measure)
04
The CBAM covers imports of goods including iron and steel products from 2023 onwards for reporting during the transition period
05
The European Commission’s steel safeguard measures triggered quotas/ceilings for certain imports during 2019–2021 (policy trend indicator)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Within industry trends, the steel sector is steadily shifting toward cleaner and more resource circular production, with electric arc furnace capacity reaching 9.7% of global crude steel in 2022 and scrap’s share projected to climb toward about 30% by 2050 alongside tightening EU monitoring and import rules.
More related reading
04 · Category
Technology & Abatement4 stats
01
Electric arc furnaces can be up to 60%–70% more energy efficient than basic oxygen furnace primary routes when run with modern scrap-based practice (energy efficiency comparison)
02
In the European cementitious sector, clinker substitution rates of 15%–30% are shown to reduce CO2; by analogy, similar material-efficiency improvements are a key abatement lever in steel value chains (industrial decarbonization lever quantified)
03
SCR (selective catalytic reduction) can reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions by about 70%–90% in combustion sources used in steel plants
04
Desulfurization units can reduce sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions by around 90% in integrated flue gas systems (typical performance)
Interpretation
Technology & Abatement Interpretation
Under the Technology & Abatement category, modern process upgrades can dramatically cut key emissions and energy use, with electric arc furnaces achieving 60% to 70% higher energy efficiency and abatement systems like SCR and flue gas desulfurization cutting NOx by about 70% to 90% and SO2 by around 90%.
05 · Category
Market Size2 stats
01
The global steel market size was about $1.8 trillion in 2023 (industry estimate)
02
The EU CBAM requires reporting of embedded emissions for covered goods starting in a transition period in 2023
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
With the global steel market valued at about $1.8 trillion in 2023, the EU CBAM’s move to require reporting of embedded emissions from 2023 signals that sustainability factors are increasingly becoming a measurable part of this massive market’s cost and compliance landscape.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Stefan Wendt. (2026, February 13). Sustainability In The Steel Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/sustainability-in-the-steel-industry-statistics
MLA
Stefan Wendt. "Sustainability In The Steel Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/sustainability-in-the-steel-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Stefan Wendt. 2026. "Sustainability In The Steel Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/sustainability-in-the-steel-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
23 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+10 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)