WSA official advocates environmental product declaration reporting by Chinese mills

For Chinese steelmakers, issuing environmental product declaration (EPD) reports helps to eliminate some prejudices against China-origin steel products in the environmental field and establish a positive and proactive image in the international market, said Zhong Shaoliang, deputy director general of the World Steel Association (WSA) and chief representative of its Beijing Office, at a recent conference.

EPD, verified by third parties and based on a life cycle assessment, scientifically discloses the environmental impact information of a product or service throughout its entire life cycle. This process is done in a comparable and internationally recognized manner, providing transparency to consumers and purchasers. EPD reports have become internationally recognized as "green ID cards," Mysteel Global notes.

The China Iron and Steel Association (CISA) launched the EPD platform for the country's steel industry on May 19 2022. As of this May, a total of 115 EPD reports on major steel products, including reinforcing bars, hot/cold-rolled coils, and steel sections, had been published on the platform, as Mysteel Global reported.

"In the context of the gradual rise of international 'green' trade barriers, EPD reports are receiving increasing attention from many countries," Zhong stated, noting that EPD reports could enable more international peers to scientifically and comprehensively understand the environmental footprint advantages of Chinese steel products.

It is foreseeable that by 2030, the environmental footprint of products from leading steelmakers will significantly improve. At the same time, sourcing low-carbon steel will become a primary trend for downstream users. EPD is urgently needed by stakeholders for development and is a pressing need of the era, Zhong said.

With the deepening of low-carbon transition efforts, the establishment of standards for low-carbon steel or zero-carbon steel has become an urgent and complex task for the steel industry and relevant international organizations, he pointed out.

In recent years, many new international organizations and standards for low-carbon steel have emerged, and more "green international trade rules" are likely to follow in the future, Zhong predicted.

The compilation of EPD reports in the Chinese steel industry has accumulated valuable experience and laid a solid data foundation for Chinese steel enterprises to overcome international 'green' trade barriers, he applauded.

Zhong also offered suggestions for the construction of the EPD platform for China's steel industry, including enhancing data reliability, ensuring data security, particularly of essential data, assuring the authority of third-party verification and the rigor of the verification process, and strengthening the promotion and application of the platform.

Additionally, he recommended using EPD reports to sort out a series of environmental indicators for steelmakers. This should be done in comparison with foreign advanced enterprises to set scientific, economic, and sustainable high-quality strategies for large domestic steelmakers.

Note: This article has been written in accordance with an article exchange agreement between MySteel Global and BigMint.