Sustainable Products

    We strive to contribute to the realization of an eco-friendly society by expanding our low-carbon steel product portfolio, which helps reduce the carbon footprint across the entire steel value chain.

    Product Brands

    POSCO identifies the eco-friendly future growth market as its primary target and is increasing the sales of products that contribute to the decarbonization of the steel value chain. To facilitate energy transition across industries like infrastructure, transportation, and energy, POSCO is intensifying efforts to make steel products lighter, stronger, and more durable.
    In the steel construction materials sector, POSCO has launched ‘INNOVILT,’ a premium construction material brand made from high-quality steel, to create a safe, high-standard construction market and promote a sustainable construction culture. In the mobility sector, POSCO has introduced ‘e Autopos,’ an eco-friendly automotive steel brand, to offer green vehicle solutions to global automotive manufacturers. Furthermore, POSCO is enhancing the development and sales of products under ‘Greenable’, to support the expansion of renewable energy infrastructure.

    AHSS(Advanced High Strength Steel)

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    AHSS(Advanced High Strength Steel) (Giga Steel)
    Globally, the transition to low-carbon economies is driving the lightweighting and electrification of vehicles, increasing the demand for lighter and stronger steel materials. In South Korea, under the ‘Automobile Greenhouse Gas Management System’ standards set by the Ministry of Environment, if the GHG emissions per unit distance exceed a certain threshold during driving, automobile manufacturers are required to pay fines or purchase carbon credits. This has heightened the need for lightweight materials. POSCO’s GPa-grade AHSS helps reduce GHG emissions by improving fuel efficiency through vehicle lightweighting.

    High-Efficiency Non-Oriented Electrical Steel

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    Electric motors are extensively used in various sectors, including industry, buildings, and transportation. The expected growth of EVs in the transportation sector is significantly increasing the demand for high-efficiency electric motors. POSCO has invested 1 trillion KRW to complete a new electrical steel plant with an annual capacity of 300,000 tons at the Gwangyang Steelworks in November 2023. This facility has commenced production of high-efficiency electrical steel, branded as Hyper NO, which reduce core loss1) compared to conventional electrical steel, thereby contributing to GHG reduction. POSCO aims to continually increase the sales share of these products.

    1) Core loss refers to the energy loss due to magnetic resistance during the magnetization process of the iron core acting as a magnetic pathway.

    Blast Furnace Granulated Slag

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    PosMent Construction Materials
    Blast furnace granulated slag is utilized as a substitute for cement clinker and as a silicate fertilizer.
    Due to its chemical composition being similar to that of cement, granulated slag is pulverized and used as a cement alternative. Additionally, POSCO has developed and is promoting PosMent, which features a higher slag content and enhanced physical properties, including improved compressive strength, compared to traditional slag cement.
    Silicate fertilizer is rich in silicon, a crucial nutrient for rice plant growth. Silicon strengthens rice plant stems more than threefold, enhances the texture and taste of rice, and aids in improving yield and quality. Furthermore, silicate fertilizer is produced by grinding granulated slag into small beads. The trace amounts of iron ions (Fe3+) in the slag help suppress methane generation caused by the decomposition of organic matter by microorganisms. This results in approximately a 14% reduction in GHG emissions from paddy fields compared to when no fertilizer is applied.

    Environmental Product Declaration Certification

    In January 2023, POSCO renewed its Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) certification from the Ministry of Environment for 14 products2), including hot-rolled, cold-rolled, and electrical steel. Leveraging this EPD certification, POSCO plans to promote low-carbon product certification for products with improved carbon emission intensity. With the strengthening of carbon regulations and the increasing emphasis on social responsibility for producing low-carbon products3), there has been a rise in information disclosure requests from various customers, including domestic and international automakers and auto parts manufacturers, regarding the carbon emission intensity of products certified by third-party agencies. POSCO is using its EPD certificates to address these requests and is developing a system to calculate the carbon emission intensity of each product on a monthly and quarterly basis to support customers in complying with the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).

    2) Hot-rolled, pickling, cold-rolled, heavy plates, wire rods, HGI, GI, GA, EG, electrical steel, STS300, STS400, PosMAC, 980DP (Giga Steel)

    3) A certification system that awards certificates to EPD-certified products with carbon footprint values below the maximum allowable carbon emissions

    Eco-Friendly Achievements Under the EU Taxonomy

    Based on the eligibility criteria of the EU Taxonomy, an eco-friendly classification system, POSCO’s eligibility ratios for revenue and capital expenditure in 2023 are 96.5% and 87.5%, respectively.
    EU Taxonomy Baseline Revenue / Investment Eligibility
    Division Turnover Capital Expenditure
    Eligibility ratio 96.5% 87.5%
    Amount 37,610.4 billion KRW 2,999.7 billion KRW