Adina Renee Adler: GSCC’s standard is working towards actual decarbonization, not greenwashing

The Global Steel Climate Council is a non-profit organization created to lead an effort to reduce steel carbon emissions and encourage investments in lower-carbon emission technology as part of the global effort to decarbonize economies and societies. GSCC members are steel manufacturers, associations and other organizations in the steel supply chain that have a presence in 79 countries around the world.

GMK Center talked to GSCC Executive Director Adina Renee Adler, who has been leading the organization since 2023, about the global decarbonization of the steel industry, new and modern technologies that can be implemented in production and green steel.

Let’s start from the beginning – why was the Global Steel Climate Council created, and what was the motivation behind its formation?

A coalition of steel producers, suppliers and customers came together to create an organization to serve as an industry leader and community partner in the drive toward steel industry decarbonization. The Steel Climate Standard creates the framework for setting science-based emissions reduction targets and delivering to the world a transparent, verifiable and accurate accounting of low carbon steel product emissions.

What is the main goal of the GSCC? How does your organization help reduce carbon emissions from the steel industry?

Steel is essential to the global economy, but we must drastically cut emissions to meet net-zero targets, and the GSCC’s independently verifiable standard is working towards actual decarbonization, not greenwashing. We are the only program that combines corporate-wide action with product certification, thereby delivering on the Paris Agreement’s promise of a net zero future.

There are a lot of terms describing steel produced with lower carbon emissions. Which term does your organization use? Could you explain it in simple words?

Low-carbon steel is meant to be just that – low in carbon emissions intensity. That is what our customers require, and that is what we deliver.

Can you explain in simple terms what the GSCC Steel Climate Standard is and why it’s important for the future of steel production?

The GSCC Steel Climate Standard is the benchmark for actual emissions reduction. It is the only emissions framework that applies equally to all steel producers worldwide, regardless of production method, and it delivers transparent and verifiable emissions data incorporating all of a steel product’s emissions from mine to hot rolled metal.

How was the standard developed? Who was involved in shaping it?

A collaborative network of steel producers, suppliers, consumers and other stakeholders (e.g., sustainability experts, NGOs, policy-makers) created the Standard. We undertook a lot of research about existing programs, and it was a priority to derive the Standard from existing emissions measurement tools and the climate science supporting the Paris Agreement’s net zero goals.

How do you measure the carbon emissions of steel? Is it about the plant, the product, or the entire production process?

We take a holistic, mine to hot rolled metal approach to calculating the true emissions intensity of the steel products. That includes Scope 1, Scope 2 and all upstream Scope 3 emissions – everything from iron ore and coal mining, scrap processing and DRI and pig iron casting to power generation to the meltshop and finally the hot rolling mill.

On your website I found 22 steel producers among your members. Only 2 of them are certified according to your standard. What stage are the remaining members at in their certification process? When do you expect all current members to be certified?

Our members have an obligation to certify science-based emissions targets within two years of joining. Currently we have targets set by two additional members that are going through the certification process, and I expect that at least half of our members will be certified by the end of this year with the remaining to come prior to their individual anniversary dates in 2026.

I understand GSCC standard is currently voluntary. Do you hope it will become a required benchmark for steelmakers around the world?

Real action to cut emissions takes ambition, ingenuity and commitment from all steel companies, so we hope that many more will take the journey with us.

Are governments and international organizations supporting your work? How do you work with policymakers to promote stronger climate standards?

Many governments and international organizations are leading climate and sustainability focused work that has an influence on the steel industry’s decarbonization efforts. The GSCC collaborates with policymakers to advocate for smart policies that incorporate science-based, transparent, technology-neutral and achievable parameters for industrial decarbonization.

What does it mean when a steel product is “GSCC-certified”? How can customers be confident that the steel they’re buying is lower in carbon emissions?

GSCC certification provides transparency, accountability, and confidence in steel decarbonization efforts and in the emissions intensity data being presented to them.

How do you see the future of the steel industry – can it really become really low-emission or even carbon-neutral? What innovations are the most necessary for this?

Low-carbon steel isn’t just a goal – it’s a necessity. GSCC is the steel climate solution – for manufacturers, for energy infrastructure, for the global economy. Our members are committed and will achieve that goal – and it starts with the question of whether the rest of the industry is, too. We already have a wide variety of innovations to get us there – scrap quantity and quality improvements, gas and H2 DRI, EAFs – and many more on the horizon.

What are your plans for the near future? What would you consider success for GSCC?

Having more members means more climate action, so we are focusing on that. We continue to be involved in a variety of international deliberations focused on steel industry decarbonization. And we had the opportunity to organize an in-person members meeting last week that sparked creative ways to promote the good work of the GSCC membership.