Thyssenkrupp Materials tackles customers’ Scope 3 emissions

Thyssenkrupp Materials Services says it has started offering emission reduction certificates with which customers can offset emissions along their own production and value chains.

The certificates, called Voluntary Carbon Credits (VCCs), are selected in accordance with careful criteria that must be reviewed and developed continuously, the company tells Kallanish.

When selecting projects, the question of whether they are sustainable and accompanied by additional measures plays a critical role. Examples of such projects include reforestation, expansion of drinking water supplies and direct air capture carbon and storage, tk Materials explains.

This involves extracting CO2 out of the atmosphere or a vent, compressing it into rock layers and storing it in mine tunnels, for example. The portfolio also includes biochar projects. Biochar is a process in which biomass is compressed under extreme heat so that no CO2 can escape. The resulting product can be used as a plant fertiliser, for example.

It is crucial that the process is transparent and recorded in accessible registers to ensure that emission values are assigned to specific VCCs, the company points out. A prerequisite for offsetting is knowledge of one’s own CO2 footprint. At tk Materials, this is achieved with the “Product Carbon Footprint Calculator” introduced in 2022. The company claims it is the first large steel distributor to offer Voluntary Carbon Credits.

Christian Koehl Germany