December 2023 I ArcelorMittal and the Automotive division of the BENTELER Group have signed a letter of intent to support BENTELER in the further expansion of its CO2-reduced product portfolio. The two companies already have a long-standing partnership. They will now collaborate on several sustainability projects to reduce carbon emissions and use XCarb® recycled and renewably produced steel, ArcelorMittal’s low-carbon steel.
BENTELER is committed to supporting its customers in achieving their own climate goals by supplying them with CO2-reduced products. The BENTELER Group has therefore set itself ambitious sustainability goals with the aim of driving forward decarbonization and achieving net zero by 2050. By 2030, production-related Scope 1 and 2 emissions should be halved compared to 2019. In addition, upstream emissions (Scope 3) should also be reduced by 30%.
Radek Jedlicka, Executive Vice President Global Procurement at BENTELER Automotive, underlines the importance of collaboration: “Sustainability is an issue that an industrial company cannot tackle alone. It takes the entire supply chain to sustainably change the metalworking industry. We are therefore pleased to be working with ArcelorMittal. Together we will make mobility even more environmentally friendly.”
Achieving your own climate goals
The new agreement will help achieve this goal. Recognizing the potential of using low-carbon steel in components manufactured by BENTELER Automotive, the two companies are testing the use of XCarb® recycled and renewable manufactured steel. On a lifecycle basis, this has a carbon footprint that is up to 70% lower than a comparable product manufactured using the traditional blast furnace process.
As a specialist in hot forming, BENTELER already knows the advantages of Usibor® steel. The material is a key to achieving the highest safety standards while simultaneously reducing weight through smaller material thicknesses in body production. The partnership will now enable BENTELER to use this material as part of its decarbonization process.
“It is our pleasure to work with our long-standing customer, the Automotive Division of the BENTELER Group, on this project to test the use of our hot-rolled and press-hardened steel, made from XCarb® recycled and renewably produced steel, in automotive parts. Steel will play a large role in reducing CO2 emissions in the automotive supply chain and we would like to thank BENTELER for partnering on our respective paths to decarbonization,” says Paul Brettnacher, CMO Automotive, Packaging, Electrical Steels and Tailored Blanks, ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products.
XCarb®
ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products began producing XCarb® recycled and renewable steel at its factory in Sestao, Spain, more than 18 months ago, ushering in a new era in the production of flat steel for the automotive sector. XCarb® Recycled and Renewably Manufactured is produced using a high proportion of recycled steel scrap and 100% renewable electricity in an Electric Arc Furnace (EAF).
ArcelorMittal Europe has set itself the goal of reducing CO2 emissions by 35% by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
