Tel :
Tel :
Industry insiders in the Turkish steel sector state that the EU’s green steel standards and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) are rapidly reshaping the competitive landscape, imposing stricter requirements on corporate financing, exports, and the transition to low-carbon operations.
Speaking at an industry conference, Dursun Baş, a project coordinator at the Istanbul Policy Center, noted that decarbonizing the steel industry is not solely the responsibility of crude steel producers; it also involves the energy, natural gas, logistics, and finance sectors, as well as downstream steel-consuming industries. HCT690T+Z Hot dip galvanized steel , He emphasized that even electric arc furnace (EAF) steel plants generate significant indirect emissions due to their high electricity consumption.
Muammer Bilgiç, a board member at the steel company Bilecik Demir, stated that the benchmarks and default emission values released by the EU under the CBAM framework signal the industry's entry into an era of "verified emission data." Moving forward, whether a steel company qualifies as a "green steel" producer will depend increasingly on verified carbon emission data rather than self-reported metrics. HCT690T+Z Hot dip galvanized steel , He also pointed out that, under the CBAM system, the EAF production route may not necessarily hold the absolute advantage that the market previously assumed.
Hasan Akbulut, a representative of the Turkish Steel Producers Association, noted that while the EU benefits from substantial financial support during its green transition, financing pressures are a major obstacle for Turkish steel companies attempting to shift to low-carbon operations. Although companies are actively investing in energy efficiency, material efficiency, and renewable energy, high costs are limiting the pace of this transition.
Barış Bora, Environmental Manager at the steel and energy group İçdaş, stated that significant uncertainty remains regarding CBAM regulations. Companies face high future compliance risks, particularly concerning the use of Russian raw materials, verification mechanisms, and discrepancies between EU and Turkish certification systems.
Additionally, officials from the Turkish Delegation to the EU pointed out that the EU is driving demand for low-carbon steel through public procurement, financial support, and green regulations, while also considering the inclusion of sectors such as automotive and home appliances within the scope of CBAM.
Meanwhile, Daniel Pietikäinen, Steel Policy Manager at the Belgian environmental organization Bellona Europa, argues that the EU’s current classification standards for "green steel" are relatively lenient. HCT690T+Z Hot dip galvanized steel , Due to the reliance on global production data and CBAM default emission values, a significant volume of European blast furnace-basic oxygen furnace (BF-BOF) products could also be classified as "green steel," thereby undermining the stringency of the green standards themselves.
Under EU plans, 25% of steel used in public procurement must be low-emission steel by 2030; however, there are industry concerns that the current rules could send the wrong market signals to the global steel sector.
