From 18 to 24 June 2026, Earth & Life Symbio (E&L) led a seven-day European Green Steel Study Tour across Germany and Sweden, bringing representatives from leading Chinese steel companies, industry associations and research institutions into direct dialogue with Europe’s emerging green steel ecosystem.
The delegation included representatives from the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA), China Iron & Steel Research Institute Group (CISRI), China Baowu, Shougang Group, CITIC Pacific Special Steel, Shanxi Taigang Stainless Steel and Hebei Taihang Steel Group. Across Munich, Berlin, Stockholm and Boden, participants engaged with steelmakers, mining companies, research organisations, downstream users, financial institutions, renewable-energy experts and civil society organisations.
Steel accounts for an estimated 7–9% of global carbon dioxide emissions. As low-carbon steelmaking technologies move from demonstration to commercial deployment, the challenge is no longer technology alone. The transition depends on a wider set of enabling conditions: abundant renewable electricity, green hydrogen and high-quality raw materials, effective infrastructure, credible carbon accounting, supportive policy, patient capital and demand for lower-carbon materials.
E&L designed the programme around this broader systems perspective. Rather than offering a conventional technical visit, the Study Tour created opportunities to examine how the different parts of a green steel value chain interact—and how China and Europe can learn from each other while pursuing transition pathways suited to their own industrial contexts.
The programme began in Munich, where the delegation met with Baowu Europe GmbH and the China Automotive Technology and Research Center (Europe). Discussions explored the implications of the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), evolving carbon-accounting requirements and the growing role of supply-chain emissions performance in European procurement decisions. Participants also considered how geopolitical developments and trade policy are reshaping international steel supply chains.
In Berlin, E&L convened the Steel Decarbonisation in Action: EU–China Industry Roundtable. Experts from the Wuppertal Institute, Agora Industry, China Energy Europe and the renewable-energy and industrial sectors discussed industrial policy, clean-power supply, hydrogen infrastructure, technology innovation and market incentives. Importantly, the exchange addressed not only progress, but also the practical constraints facing the sector: high energy prices, uncertainty around hydrogen availability, financing pressures and concerns about competitiveness.
A visit to EUREF Campus in Berlin illustrated the importance of systems integration. The campus brings together energy infrastructure, low-carbon mobility, innovation and commercial activity in one urban setting. It provided a tangible reminder that industrial decarbonisation cannot be delivered through isolated projects; it requires coordination across energy, infrastructure, technology and investment.
In Sweden, the delegation explored critical stages of the green steel value chain. At LKAB, participants discussed the role of high-grade iron ore and low-carbon pellets in supporting hydrogen-based direct reduced iron production. The exchange highlighted how upstream material quality can affect both the efficiency and emissions performance of future steelmaking routes.
The delegation also met with Stegra’s leadership team and visited its construction site in Boden, where a major integrated green hydrogen and steel production project is under development. Discussions covered renewable-power supply, hydrogen infrastructure, investment decisions, workforce development and commercial-risk management. Chinese participants, in turn, shared experience in ultra-low-emissions upgrades, energy-efficiency improvements and low-carbon steel assessment.
The Study Tour concluded with a visit to Swerim, Sweden’s metals research institute, where participants learned how applied research, materials testing and collaboration between industry and academia can help bridge the gap between laboratory innovation and commercial deployment.
The programme demonstrated the continuing value of trusted China–Europe engagement at a time of growing complexity in trade and industrial policy. It also reaffirmed that green steel is a value-chain challenge: progress will depend on collaboration among producers, energy and raw-material suppliers, buyers, investors, researchers and policymakers.
Building on the relationships and shared understanding developed during the Study Tour, E&L will continue to convene cross-regional and cross-sector dialogue, including through the newly launched International Green Steel Cooperation Forum, to support practical collaboration towards a globally competitive, low-carbon steel industry.
