Klöckner & Co and the Salzgitter Group have entered into a partnership through which they will intensify their cooperation in the transformation towards a green steel industry. In perspective, this will significantly increase the amount of green steel available in the market. From the end of 2025, the Salzgitter Group will supply CO2-reduced steel produced via the new hydrogen-based production route "SALCOS®" to Becker Stahl-Service GmbH, a subsidiary of Klöckner & Co. There, the CO2-reduced steel from Salzgitter will be available under the umbrella of the "Nexigen®" brand, under which Klöckner & Co offers its CO2-reduced steel and metal solutions.
"Through our partnership with the Salzgitter Group, we are significantly increasing the availability of green steel for our customers. The offering under our "Nexigen®" brand will thus be significantly strengthened. Under the "Nexigen®" umbrella, we are transparently combining our CO2-reduced solutions in the areas of materials, pre-processing, and logistics. In this way, we enable our customers to establish a reliable sustainable value chain in the long term. In this way, we are driving forward the implementation of our corporate strategy "Klöckner & Co 2025: Leveraging Strengths" and consolidating our role as a pioneer of a sustainable steel industry," says Guido Kerkhoff, Chairman of the Management Board of Klöckner & Co SE.
New hydrogen-based route for CO2-reduced steel
The CO2-reduced steel produced by Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH for Klöckner & Co will be produced via the new hydrogen-based production route "SALCOS® - Salzgitter Low CO2 Steelmaking". SALCOS® aims to implement virtually CO2-free steel production in three stages. The first stage will go into operation as early as the end of 2025. With the gradual replacement of the blast furnaces currently in use by direct reduction plants and electric arc furnaces, the Salzgitter Group will already be technically able to save around 95 percent of emissions in steel production by the end of 2033.
Nexigen® and CO2-reduced products
Klöckner & Co has developed its own categorization, "Nexigen®", with which the company offers its customers increased transparency in the market for CO2-reduced steel and metal solutions. The brand stands for transparent, CO2-reduced solutions in the areas of materials, processing and logistics. Klöckner & Co thus makes it easier for its customers to reliably procure green steel and metal products and enables them to have complete transparency over their carbon footprint - from raw material extraction to production. Combined with a comprehensive range of logistics and circularity solutions as well as Sustainable Advisory Services, Klöckner & Co supports its customers in building sustainable supply chains. In doing so, the independently certified Nexigen® PCF Algorithm calculates the individualized ProductCarbon Footprint (PCF) for nearly every one of Klöckner's approximately 200,000 products.
"A success factor for SALCOS® is close collaboration with customers and partners, in line with our strategic mission "Partnering for Transformation". We are therefore pleased to now extend our cooperation with Klöckner & Co to green steel products. The high level of interest in our CO2-reduced products from sectors such as automotive and household appliances, as well as from retailers, shows that the markets for green steel products are becoming increasingly established," said Gunnar Groebler, CEO of Salzgitter AG.
