German steelmaker Thyssenkrupp Steel will supply its bluemint recycled green steel to BMW Group for the production of selected car body parts, the producer said on 23 February.
Deliveries will start this year and will be used for the outer panels and battery housing of the BMW iX3 series. The company did not disclose the exact volumes to be supplied.
Thyssenkrupp said the material has a high proportion of recycled feedstock and achieves CO2 reduction verified by TÜV Süd compared to conventional steel. Bluemint recycled is a mass‑balanced recycled product.
Bluemint recycled has CO2 emissions of 0.75t per 1t of hot-rolled coil, achieving a 1.35t emission reduction.
To learn more about decarbonisation initiatives of Thyssenkrupp and other steelmakers globally – check Global Green Steel Profile.
The company said bluemint steel meets the standards required by the automotive industry. European carmakers have been the most active end-users to incorporate green steel. They also have been accepting higher green steel premiums as the additional charges for flat steel are easier diluted in total costs.
The automotive industry, however, has higher quality standards compared to spot buyers. And market sources expressed concerns that equipment replacement at the steel plants needed for decarbonisation or purchases from greenfield projects might make steel sales to carmakers more challenging.
European market participants are reporting green steel premiums between EUR70-100/t for workable green hot-rolled coil (HRC) spot premia, with buyers increasingly preferring electric-arc furnace (EAF) steel to mass-balanced blast-furnace material, especially on the import market.
