Europe’s regulators must think in terms of life-cycle, says steel industry

The steel industry has long argued that when a vehicle’s entire life-cycle is taken into consideration, steel products offer a more sustainable solution than alternative materials. Current regulations, which centre around use-phase emissions, have in recent years prompted OEMs and suppliers to explore lighter alternatives such as aluminium.

But, say steel suppliers, when production and end-of-life phases are taken into account (including material production), steel makes far less in the way of energy demands.

World Auto Steel, a global industry group with which the European Steel Association (EUROFER) works closely, has previously published peer-reviewed research it believes shows that the use