Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. announced its new plans of expansions with the use of low-CO2-emission steel manufactured in Japan, to reduce the proportion of low-CO2-emission steel Nissan uses in Japan in fiscal year 2025, which is expected to increase by a factor of five compared to fiscal year 2023.
Nissan says that they aim to reduce CO2 emissions by 30% throughout the entire product life cycle by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. To achieve these goals, the company has intensified its decarbonization efforts across the entire process, starting from material procurement.
Steel components make up approximately 60% of a vehicle’s weight, making the shift to low-CO2-emission steel a crucial step in lowering overall carbon footprints.
A significant portion of CO2 emissions in steel production comes from the process of reducing iron ore in blast furnaces. To address this, the industry is advancing the use of green steel.
They are now focusing on minimizing emissions through two methods, like using low-carbon-reduced iron derived from iron ore and transitioning from traditional blast furnaces to electric arc furnaces.
This shift aligns with global decarbonization goals and is expected to play a pivotal role in the automotive sector’s journey toward sustainability.
“Nissan started using green steel in vehicles for the Japanese market in 2023, with the adoption of Kobenable®2 Steel from Kobe Steel. Nissan will significantly expand its use of the steel through use of Nippon Steel Corporation’s NSCarbolex®*3 Neutral, JFE Steel Corporation’s JGreeX®*4, and POSCO’s carbon reduction allocated steel. These green steel products reduce CO2 emissions during production through a mass-balance approach*5,” Nissan said in an official press release.
Nissan is now committed to accelerating its efforts towards building a sustainable society in every aspect of their business.