This project aims to provide environmental and techno-economic background on steel products to support future discussion on EU product policies with scientific evidence. The project will conduct research in line with the proposal for Regulation on Ecodesign for Sustainable Products (ESPR) (COM(2022) 142 final), addressing circularity and other sustainability aspects throughout the product life cycle
Steel is an intermediate product used to produce many other goods, with applications in a wide range of sectors such as automotive, building and infrastructure, mechanical engineering, packaging, etc. It is the first intermediate product considered under the ESPR framework, which makes the project the first of its kind.The ESPR proposal supports the commitments made in both the European Green Deal (COM(2019) 640 final) and the Circular Economy Action Plan (COM(2020) 98 final). Once adopted, the ESPR will replace the Directive 2009/125/EC with a set of a coherent legislative frameworks for a broader range of products, ensuring that products placed on the EU market become increasingly sustainable with a reduced negative life cycle impact.
Since steel is an intermediate product, the preparatory study will follow a cradle-to-gate approach, covering the analysis from the extraction of raw materials (iron ore, coal, etc.) to the factory gate. Therefore, the study will consider different intermediate products derived from the different stages of the steelmaking process, inter alia, crude steel, semi-finished products and finished products.
Also, ecodesign measures will be explored as part of the preparatory study. The work will include market analysis and review of existing initiatives on green steel. As a results, it will identify a set of suitable requirements (both performance and information) applicable to the products concerned (iron and crude steel, semi-finished and finished products of steel), laying the ground for a possible future Delegated Act on ESPR.
Stakeholder involvement is crucial to this study for data collection and joint analysis. For that reason, you are encouraged to participate by registering as stakeholder in the project website and for BATIS, the electronic platform used for the stakeholder consultation process. Directions on how to register as a stakeholder and for BATIS are provided in the section Register.
