GREENHOUSE GASES
AND CLIMATE CHANGE
BlueScope Steel understands the need to move to a lower carbon global economy and recognises the role of the steel industry in bringing about that change in a sustainable and economically responsible way.
Right across the Company we are working to find ways of reducing both our direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions. BlueScope Steel is committed to progressively reducing our emissions, as well as helping inefficient steelworks in other countries to adopt modern, energy efficient practices and technology.
Making iron and steel produces significant quantities of greenhouse gases. In an integrated steelworks, carbon, in the form of coal and coke, is the reducing agent used to convert iron ore to iron in a blast furnace. Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are emitted as an unavoidable by-product of this process.
The laws of chemistry, physics and thermodynamics dictate the amount of carbon used in the blast furnace, with current usage close to theoretical minimum levels. Any significant reduction in direct emissions will therefore require a major technology breakthrough. The development of a ‘low carbon emission’ breakthrough technology for making iron and steel is an enormous challenge and will take the combined efforts of steel manufacturers and others, working together on a global scale, in order to succeed.
In response to this challenge, BlueScope Steel, in partnership with other steel makers and the World Steel Association (formerly the International Iron and Steel Institute (IISI) that represents around 80 per cent of the world’s steelmakers ), continues to contribute to worldwide research efforts. The World Steel Association is undertaking the CO2 Breakthrough Programme, with BlueScope Steel as one of its contributors.
BlueScope Steel is also actively supporting the Australian Government as a member of the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate (APP) steel task force. This partnership aims to reduce the global greenhouse gas emissions from the iron and steel industry by facilitating international iron and steel making technology transfers. The partnership includes iron and steel making representatives from Japan, USA, Korea, China, India, Australia and Canada.
