Decarbonization efforts have been accelerated globally and many countries along with their industries that have a high carbon footprint like iron and steel have started to adopt measures and allocate funds to protect the environment and prevent further damage to nature, while also to become more competitive globally. With their ambitious plans and advantageous position based on the electric arc furnaces over other production methods, Turkey and Turkish steelmakers are among those taking action in this regard.
Against this backdrop, Kazım Selim Özkan, director of human resources, corporate communications and sustainability at Turkish steelmaker Çolakoğlu Metalürji, has shared the company’s plans for the green future and detailed its sustainability roadmap, according to a report in Turkish daily newspaper Dünya.
Mr. Özkan stated that Çolakoğlu plans to cut its carbon emissions by 55 percent by 2030 and that it aims to become carbon neutral by 2050. “We will share our climate action plan, which includes our carbon reduction targets and roadmap, with our stakeholders as soon as possible. Since electricity is the most important energy source for us, minimizing its consumption, increasing energy efficiency, energy recovery and generating electricity from green resources is the most important emission reduction route for us. In this context, we will try to provide an increasing amount of green energy resources every year with investments,” Özkan added. He has also highlighted that the integrated steelmakers, which use iron ore as steelmaking raw material, are getting ready to transform and that these producers will get rid of fossil fuels and instead process the iron ore using hydrogen.
Regarding the investments in green steel, the Çolakoğlu official emphasized that the company has projects focusing on process improvement, digitalization and artificial intelligence, and it is also working laboriously to cut emissions in its supply chain and to recycle by-products and waste that turn up during production.
As SteelOrbis reported previously, Turkey has recently unveiled its net zero emissions plans. Accordingly, a budget of $175 million, consisting of three packages, has been allocated for the green transformation of Turkish industry in line with the net zero emission target for 2053. Mehmet Fatih Kacır, Turkish minister of industry and technology, stated that, in line with the 2053 emission target, the road maps aim to reduce emissions by 75 percent in the aluminum sector, by 99 percent in the steel sector, 93 percent in the cement sector, and to achieve zero emissions in the fertilizer sector.