Fossil-Free Steel – A Pioneer of the Green Transition
The Nordic region’s largest steel producer, SSAB, is revolutionizing steelmaking with two unique steel products that are virtually free of fossil carbon dioxide emissions. In spring 2023, the company launched SSAB Zero™, a steel made from recycled materials using fossil-free energy. Production of fossil-free steel has also begun, demonstrating the technology’s viability, with pilot batches delivered to strategic partners since 2022.
First delivery of fossil-free steel. Photo: SSAB
DEVELOPMENT
In the steel industry, more carbon dioxide is produced than steel itself. This, combined with EU legislation and end-users' sustainability goals, prompted SSAB to develop low-emission steels.
The development process has been customer-driven from the outset. Based on extensive interviews, SSAB has gathered data on the steel grades, dimensions, and products their customers will need in the future. After testing phases, pilot deliveries have been made to selected partners across various industries.
MANUFACTURING METHODS
The groundbreaking HYBRIT® technology, developed in collaboration between SSAB, LKAB, and Vattenfall, uses hydrogen-reduced sponge iron and eliminates the main source of CO2 emissions: coal. Instead of carbon dioxide, water is the by-product of the process.
The transformation primarily affects iron and steelmaking. Blast furnaces, which traditionally use coal for iron reduction, will be replaced by hydrogen-based reduction. Post-melt processes—such as rolling, galvanizing, heat treatments, and coating—remain the same but are powered by fossil-free energy sources.
TIMELINE
SSAB initiated the development project in 2016. In 2020, the HYBRIT® pilot plant for fossil-free sponge iron production was opened in Luleå, Sweden. The world’s first fossil-free steel plate was produced in 2021, and SSAB Zero™—made from recycled steel—was launched in 2023. Already in 2024, over 50,000 tons of SSAB Zero™ steel have been delivered.
The electrified arc furnace at the modernized Oxelösund plant is scheduled to go live in 2026. A state-of-the-art mini-mill for premium steel production in Luleå is expected to be operational by the end of 2028.
“For many of our customers, the majority of their product’s carbon footprint comes from the steel. They’ve already minimized emissions from their own processes, and with fossil-free steel, they now receive externally verified values for the steel itself. We already offer a broad range of SSAB Zero™ products that can reduce product CO₂ emissions by 59–77% depending on the application.”
PERFORMANCE
SSAB’s advanced high-strength steels are already helping customers reduce carbon emissions across their value chains. The quality and performance of fossil-free steel match traditional steel—but with a far smaller environmental footprint.
Steels made using HYBRIT® technology are mechanically identical to those produced by conventional methods and meet existing standards. Therefore, their applications and usage remain unchanged.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
With SSAB Zero™, the company aims to significantly cut fossil CO2 emissions from production. Once commercially available, SSAB Fossil-free™ steel will have fossil-based emissions of less than 0.05 kg CO₂e per kilogram of steelunder Scope 1 and 2, and upstream Scope 3 categories, in line with the GHG Protocol.
If fully adopted, the impact could reduce Sweden’s total CO₂ emissions by about 10% and Finland’s by 7%. When fully implemented, fossil-free steel production will achieve near-zero emissions.
SSAB is one of the world’s most advanced steel producers, transforming the industry with innovations and steel products that generate virtually no fossil carbon dioxide emissions.
