Summary
Details
- Global
The Steel Climate Standard applies to steel producers seeking GSCC-aligned science-based emissions target certification and, optionally, product-level certification for lower-emission steel. Product certification is optional, but companies participating in the standard must establish science-based emissions targets.
Deep dive
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Background
The Global Steel Climate Council developed the Steel Climate Standard to create a single framework for steel product certification and corporate science-based target-setting. The standard has three stated objectives: to provide a technology-agnostic certification and target-setting framework, allow customers to understand the carbon emissions associated with steel products, and support emissions reduction goals aligned with the Paris Agreement by 2050.
The standard responds to a long-running challenge in steel decarbonization: comparing steel emissions across production routes, product types, and supply chains. Instead of using separate standards for different production methods, GSCC’s approach is process-neutral and based on actual emissions intensity. The standard explicitly rejects a “ferrous scrap sliding scale” approach, arguing that a common emissions framework is needed to compare products consistently and avoid weaker claims for higher-emission production routes.
Methodology and Verification
The GSCC Steel Climate Standard combines company-level emissions target-setting with optional product-level certification. Its methodology is built around measured greenhouse gas emissions intensity rather than steelmaking route, which means the same framework can be applied to blast furnace, electric arc furnace, direct reduced iron, and other production pathways. GSCC describes the standard as a technology-neutral framework for steel product certification and company science-based emissions target-setting. Key methodology and verification elements include:
Company emissions intensity: Producers calculate their Company Average Steel Emissions Intensity, or CASEI. This is used as the company-level emissions metric for certification and for assessing progress against science-based targets.
Science-based emissions targets: Participating steel producers must set science-based emissions targets. These targets are designed to align company decarbonization plans with the standard’s long-term emissions pathway.
Product-level certification: Product certification is optional, but producers seeking it must calculate the greenhouse gas emissions intensity of specific steel products.
System boundary: The product methodology uses emissions intensity for hot-rolled steel and includes relevant Scope 1, Scope 2, and upstream Scope 3 emissions. This is intended to give buyers a more complete view of emissions associated with steel products.
Independent verification: Certification depends on third-party verification and validation by GSCC-approved certification bodies. The GSCC Supplemental Technical Guidance sets out criteria for certification, verification, and reporting, while approved verifiers review CASEI, SBETs, and product-level calculations for conformance with the standard.
In practice, the standard creates two related pathways: company certification around CASEI and science-based targets, and product certification for steel products that meet the standard’s emissions-intensity criteria. This gives steel producers a way to document decarbonization at both the corporate and product level, while giving steel buyers a verified basis for comparing emissions claims.
Current Status & Outlook
The Steel Climate Standard is in operation, with the latest published version dated July 2024. GSCC has since moved from framework development into certification activity, including company-level certification of Corporate Average Steel Emissions Intensity and Science-Based Emissions Targets, as well as product-level certifications for hot-rolled steel products.
In 2026, GSCC began a two-year review of the Steel Climate Standard and its Supplemental Technical Guidance. GSCC says the review will use verified emissions data from certified members, experience from the certification process, developments in climate and steel standards, and changes in global climate policy. The first formal stakeholder comment period runs from 9 April to 23 June 2026.
The standard is likely to remain relevant for steel buyers, producers, and downstream manufacturers seeking comparable emissions information for procurement and climate reporting. Its distinctive position is its technology-neutral design: rather than defining low-emission steel by production route, it focuses on measured product intensity, verified emissions data, and alignment with a common sector decarbonization pathway.
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