This short paper summarises our proposal for the use of the EN 19694-2 in place of the ETS benchmarks and the modification of the scrap eligibility criteria for the EU Taxonomy. EUROFER has provided a more detailed position in its contribution to the inception impact assessment on the EU taxonomy.

EN 19694-2 in place of ETS benchmarks

The steel value chain is a complex system of interconnected processes producing steel essentially via 2 complementary process routes:

• the primary production route based on Blast Furnace – Basic oxygen Furnace using iron ores, steel scrap, and mainly fossil-based reduction chemicals and energy carriers (coke).
• the secondary production route based on Electric Arc Furnace using steel scrap and mainly electricity.

We would like to reiterate that, in order to understand and assess/evaluate the environmental impact of activities of the steel industry, the entire life cycle needs to be taken into consideration, this in line with Article 19 (g) of the regulation. As part of a life cycle approach, it is key to assess the performance along the entire steel value chain, including all inter-connected steelmaking processes, in order to have consistent data and avoid misleading results which would compromise the existence of sustainable steel value chains in Europe.

This paper was updated on 21 October 2020.