Dear readers, this week, while the eyes of the world were trained on the U.S. election, we set our sights on a steel factory in Arctic Sweden that could revolutionize one of the most polluting industries...
Situated just below the Arctic circle in Sweden’s sparsely populated Norrbotten County is a quiet picturesque city, nestled in between forests and an archipelago that stretches out into the Gulf of Bothnia toward Finland.
Luleå is known as Stålstaden (“Steel City”) and it is the beating heart of Sweden’s steel industry, home to a sprawling industrial steelworks that employs over a thousand workers.
The industry may be a key part of Sweden’s economy, but it is also an environmental nightmare ― steel production is responsible for 10% of the country’s CO2 emissions. Globally, steel production contributes 7-9% of the world’s direct emissions from fossil fuels, and demand for steel is projected to increase thanks to growing global populations and rising urbanization.
Reducing — or ideally eliminating — carbon emissions from the steel industry is crucial if nations are to meet the Paris climate agreement goal of keeping temperature rises below 2 degrees C to avoid catastrophic climate change. Steel manufacturers are facing increasing pressure to test emerging strategies for limiting their carbon footprint.
Here in Arctic Sweden, a plan is underway to produce the world’s first “green” steel. The new process will use no fossil fuels and could mark a monumental shift in an industry which employs 6 million people globally but has struggled to see a place for itself in a decarbonized world.
What do you think? We'd love to hear from you. Cheers, Laura and Amanda | 
