Berlin – An alliance of associations and unions is calling on the federal government to quickly establish lead markets for green steel in Germany. The alliance sees great potential in railway construction in particular and expects this to have a signaling effect for other industrial and construction sectors as well. The federal government is now required to tackle concrete pilot projects and, for example, to increase the incentives for the use of green steel from Europe by adapting procurement law.
In its coalition agreement, the black-red federal government announced that it would simplify and accelerate procurement law at national and European level “for low-emission products in the basic materials industry with a pioneering field for Deutsche Bahn”. The managing director of the Pro-Rail Alliance, Dirk Flege, said: “When building or renewing rail lines, large amounts of CO₂ could be saved if green steel from Germany or another EU country were used. So far there have only been a few pilot projects. Up to 100 tons of CO₂ could be saved per kilometer of rail; for a route like Hamburg-Berlin, it would be around 33,000 tons of CO₂ compared to conventional steel less.”
The announced pilot projects in the rail infrastructure must now be implemented quickly, demanded the President of the German Nature Conservation Association, Prof. Dr. Kai Niebert: “Countries like Belgium and France are showing us that the use of green steel on rail is already possible today. If we also set a good example on rail in Germany, this will send a signal for the entire business location and show that climate neutrality and good economic policy belong together.”
In addition to achieving climate protection goals, the alliance also sees advantages for the competitiveness of the German economy and securing jobs in the steel industry. The second chairman of IG Metall, Jürgen Kerner, said: “If billions from the special fund flow into public infrastructure such as railway lines, this must also reach the domestic steel manufacturers. We need binding local content requirements here.”
Kerstin Maria Rippel, General Manager of the Steel Association, emphasizes: “The federal government must now quickly create lead markets for low-emission domestic steel so that the transition to climate neutrality in our industry can make reliable progress – and the steel location is secured. The prerequisites are there: increasingly low-emission steel from Germany and the EU, established sustainability standards and proven best-practice examples. What is now crucial is that public procurement procedures create clarity and thus the demand for climate-friendly materials strengthen.”
The federal government must compensate for possible additional construction costs with additional funds. Every euro invested comes back threefold in the form of climate protection, a competitive economy and secured jobs.