ResponsibleSteel, a not-for-profit organization developing sustainability performance standards and an independent third-party certification program for the steel value chain, has announced two landmark partnerships with the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA) and Europe’s Low Emission Steel Standard (LESS) at COP30 in Belém, Brazil. The agreements between the three organizations, which cover around 60 percent of global steel output, mark a major step toward internationally aligned carbon standards.
A unified framework for low-emission steel
The agreements connect ResponsibleSteel’s International Production Standard with China’s low-carbon emission steel evaluation system C2F steel framework and Europe’s LESS initiative. By aligning greenhouse gas measurement, reporting and classification systems, the partnership establishes interoperable definitions of low-emission steel that can be applied across regions.
This blueprint supports global trade in green steel by offering clearer comparability, increased transparency and a consistent basis for procurement and investment decisions. With steel accounting for seven to nine percent of global GHG emissions, harmonized standards address a long-standing bottleneck in measuring decarbonisation progress.
Endorsement of scrap-variable approach
A central pillar of the alignment is a joint endorsement of the scrap-variable method, an accounting approach recognized by the G7 and multiple international bodies. This method prevents competition for a limited scrap supply, incentivizes decarbonisation across all steel production routes and encourages technology-neutral solutions in line with international trade rules and helps to reduce creating unnecessary barriers to trade.