Japan: Steel industrys CO2 emissions decrease by over 25% in FY24 compared to FY13
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- Declining production, energy conservationresult in reduction
- Carbon Neutrality Action Plan aims to reduce emissions by 30% by FY30
Japan Metal Daily:The Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF) announced on 9 February 2026 that the steel industrys carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in FY24 decreased by 25.8% compared to FY13, which is the base year. In addition to the decrease in energy consumption due to the decline in production activities, the reduction was also due the expanding use of steel scrap and promoting energy conservation.
The FY30 target of the federation's Carbon Neutrality Action Plan is to reduce it by 30% compared to FY13. The achievement rate against the FY24 target is about 86%.
According to JISF, CO2 emissions from companies participating in the carbon neutrality action plan in FY24 were 144.23 million tonnes (mnt). The total, including non-participating companies, was 147.78 mnt.
Crude steel production in FY24 was 82.95 mnt, a decrease of about 26% compared to FY13. With the decrease in energy consumption due to the decline in production activities, CO2 emissions also decreased significantly. Of the 50.2 mnt of emissions reduction of companies participating in the action plan compared to FY13, 44.31 mnt, or about 88%, were due to production fluctuations. On the other hand, there were also effects such as promoting energy conservation (640,000 t) and utilising raw materials and fuels (2.59 mnt).
When production activity declines, the emission intensity per ton of crude steel generally deteriorates. The intensity index in FY24 increased by about 6% compared to FY13 with 94.5. However, crude steel production remained at a low level of FY18, which was 99 mnt.
We also announced an estimated amount of contribution to reducing CO2 emissions by high-performance steel products (5 types), which are published every year. In FY24, it contributed to a reduction of 34.89 mnt in Japan and overseas.
