Automotive producers can spearhead the decarbonization of the steel industry by increasing demand for near-zero-emissions steel and capitalizing on green steel technologies, Jon Gordon, deputy director of CALSTART’s green steel program, said during a webinar on Thursday March 27.

The automotive sector is a large consumer of steel produced via primary steelmaking, which is a highly emissions-intensive process, Gordon said on Thursday. The US market has a 30:70 split of primary steel and secondary steel, which involves using recycled steel and has far lower emissions due to the use of electricity.

“Demand has such a massive effect on the investments that are made,” Gordon said. “When we make steel today, we release between 1.5 and 3 tons of [carbon dioxide] per ton of steel. To make green steel, we need to take the carbon dioxide [out].”