From Concept to Commitment – Iron and Steel Producers Answer the Call for Near-Zero Steel

The RMI Sustainable Steel Buyers Platform (SSBP) conducted its first request for proposal (RFP) for the North American market to aggregate demand for near-zero emission (NZE) steel. The process resulted in 13 commercial-scale project proposals targeting delivery by the early 2030s, demonstrating that both buyers and producers are ready to commit to low-emissions steel through innovative procurement models and diverse technology pathways.

• The SSBP's first North American RFP aggregated demand from nine buyers seeking over one million tons of near-zero emission steel, primarily to support renewable energy development, North American data centers, and commercial and industrial equipment.
• The RFP attracted 13 first-of-a-kind commercial-scale project proposals with production targets set for the early 2030s. These proposals include a mix of NZE ironmaking technologies, scrap-based steelmaking, and downstream processing interventions.
• Decarbonization is being driven by a diverse range of actors, including legacy steelmakers, new technology start-ups, and large-scale industrial and energy operators. Technology pathways include electrochemical, bio-based, and sodium-based processes, as well as green hydrogen-based direct reduced iron (DRI) and retrofitted electric arc furnaces (EAF).
• To achieve bankability and mitigate risks such as volatile energy prices and policy uncertainty, suppliers are seeking binding multi-year, take-or-pay agreements. The 'book and claim' model, which decouples emissions attributes from the physical product, is emerging as a critical tool for financing first-of-a-kind projects.

APA

RMI (2025). From Concept to Commitment – Iron and Steel Producers Answer the Call for Near-Zero Steel. https://rmi.org/resources/from-concept-to-commitment-iron-and-steel-producers-answer-the-call-for-near-zero-steel/

Chicago

RMI. From Concept to Commitment – Iron and Steel Producers Answer the Call for Near-Zero Steel. 2025. https://rmi.org/resources/from-concept-to-commitment-iron-and-steel-producers-answer-the-call-for-near-zero-steel/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=From Concept to Commitment – Iron and Steel Producers Answer the Call for Near-Zero Steel |date=18 December 2025 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/from-concept-to-commitment-iron-and-steel-producers-answer-the-call-for-near-zero-steel/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2025from, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{From Concept to Commitment – Iron and Steel Producers Answer the Call for Near-Zero Steel}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2025}, month = dec, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/from-concept-to-commitment-iron-and-steel-producers-answer-the-call-for-near-zero-steel/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }