BIR Warns Green Steel Labels Misrepresent Emissions, Hurt Recycling

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) has raised concerns over current “green steel” classification methods, warning that flawed standards risk undermining global decarbonisation efforts in the steel industry.

BIR criticised the widely discussed “sliding scale” methodology, arguing it creates a dual-standard system that misrepresents environmental performance. Under this approach, steel producers using lower levels of recycled material can still qualify as “green,” despite generating higher carbon emissions than operations with greater scrap usage.

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The organization said this framework introduces perverse incentives by effectively rewarding carbon-intensive production while penalising recycling-based processes. It also warned that such standards lack scientific credibility and could mislead policymakers, investors, and end-users.

BIR emphasized that credible green steel definitions must rely on transparent, verifiable carbon intensity metrics without adjustment mechanisms that dilute sustainability claims. The group urged regulators to adopt unified, process-agnostic standards to ensure fairness, strengthen trust, and support the transition toward a truly circular and low-carbon steel economy.