The comprehensive report lays bare the environmental and health implications of Tata’s plans to overhaul its steel production at the IJmuiden site. The new steel plant, which will operate using natural gas and green electricity instead of coal, is expected to slash CO₂ emissions by 5 million tonnes. With future integration of hydrogen, bio-methane, and underground carbon storage (CCS), the reductions could go even further – making this the largest single-company CO₂ cut in the Netherlands. 

Hans van den Berg, CEO of Tata Steel Nederland, said: “Our Green Steel plan, developed in close collaboration with trade unions and fully backed by our parent company in India, represents an unprecedented shift – not just for us, but for the entire region. We are moving away from coal, and towards a cleaner, greener future.” 

Jeroen Klumper, Director of the Green Steel Business Transformation, added: “Preparations are already in full swing. The blueprints are ready, we know where the new plants will be built, and we’ve detailed the environmental benefits in the EIA – from reduced nitrogen emissions to a significant drop in odour pollution. We have chosen to publish the EIA ourselves in the interest of transparency. We believe it is important for the local community to understand what our Green Steel plan entails. We’re going beyond legal requirements, using cutting-edge solutions to ensure our site remains future proof for decades to come.” 

Covering ore fields 
In a direct response to findings by the Dutch National Institute for Public Health (RIVM), Tata Steel will start to cover its ore fields – a move expected to drastically reduce the spread of fine dust in the direct environment. The covering of the ore storage areas is not part of the EIA. It is at the top of the list of additional measures being discussed as part of the Tailor Made Agreement ('Maatwerk-afspraak'). Other measures include, for example, reducing noise pollution and covering the conveyor belts. 

Full support for health impact assessment
In line with earlier recommendations from the IJmond Health Expert Group, Tata Steel is also supporting the creation of a Health Impact Assessment (HIA). This will translate environmental data from the EIA into tangible health outcomes for the surrounding communities – a move the company fully endorses.

Public information sessions
Tata Steel will host two public information sessions on 8 and 9 July, 2025 (see links below), with representatives from the Province of North Holland and the North Sea Canal Environmental Agency in attendance. Two additional sessions will be organized after the summer holidays.

Physical meeting 8 juli | Café De Zon | Wijk aan Zee.  
Digital meeting 9 juli | Teams

Hans van den Berg, CEO of Tata Steel Nederland, says: "Membership of LESS is a logical step for us in the decarbonisation of our company and contributes to the sustainability of the European steel sector. We support the objectives of LESS and the development of independent standards. This standardisation helps customers, policymakers, and the rest of the value chain to build confidence in sustainable steel products." 

On the way to a smaller ecological footprint

Whether it's wind turbines, batteries, cars, washing machines, food packaging or infrastructure, our daily lives rely on steel. This is precisely why the steel industry, and consequently Tata Steel, plays a critical role in achieving EU climate goals, as steel accounts for more than 5% of European CO₂-emissions. With CO₂-neutral steel, a significant impact can be achieved in reducing our collective ecological footprint.

With participation in LESS, we can provide our customers with steel according to a clear, transparent standard and demonstrate the sustainability of our product, also to the policymakers. Purchasers of steel products can in turn achieve their own sustainability goals and strengthen their position in a sustainability-focused market.

With the increasing relevance of sustainability, having a clear and certifiable standard for low-CO₂ steel is becoming increasingly important. This allows consumers and markets to actually determine the contribution a product makes to the sustainability transition.

Every day, we work towards cleaner and greener steel. With innovative solutions and our Green Steel plan, we aim to reduce CO₂-emissions by 5 million tons per year from 2030, by transitioning to Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) technology and electric furnaces. This transition contributes to the European climate goals and strengthens our competitive position. In addition, we aim to increase the use of scrap in our production processes to 30% by 2030, contributing to a more sustainable use of resources and a reduction of our ecological footprint.

MCB in Valkenswaard and Tata Steel Nederland have been partners in the steel value chain for decades. Mirenka Fortuin, Director Sales and Marketing Engineering at Tata Steel Nederland, states: "With our growing Zeremis® solutions, we are on the way to a CO2-neutral, circular world together with customers. We are pleased that MCB, a long-standing partner of ours, is opting for reduced-CO2 steel and low-CO2 transport." Tata Steel provides MCB with steel coils and tubes, which MCB further distributes to various customers for a multitude of applications. Erik Spikmans, Sales Director of MCB, on the collaboration with Tata Steel Nederland: "We are very pleased with this next step, which seamlessly aligns with our sustainability ambitions. In addition to our CO2-reduced products and Wood4Wood, we are now also achieving CO2 reduction in our transports."

In addition to Zeremis Delivered, Tata Steel also offers Zeremis Carbon Lite

The reduction of CO2 emissions in the transport chains between Tata Steel Nederland and participating customers is laid down in a 'Zeremis Delivered'[1] agreement. The steel customers receive independently verified CO2 reduction statements. This major step towards the sustainability of mutual transport comes on top of the Memorandum of Understanding that MCB and Tata Steel Nederland previously agreed upon for the delivery of CO2-reduced steel and tubes.

On the way together towards clean, green circular steel

Tata Steel Nederland is transitioning to become a clean, green, and circular steel producer. By 2030, Tata Steel aims to reduce its CO2 emissions by 40% and to be climate-neutral by 2045. To achieve these goals, the company will implement various innovations such as Direct Reduced Iron installations in combination with Electric Arc Furnace technology. In addition, Tata Steel is working every day to increase steel recycling, with the aim of increasing the use of scrap to 30% from 2030 onwards.

1 Zeremis DL® is an independently verified book-and-claim solution based on CO2 reduction statements. This method is widely used in the transport sector because it enables both route efficiency and CO2 savings that are specifically allocated to a customer.

"Steel recycling is recycling par excellence. Where other materials such as plastic, glass, and aluminium are not infinitely recyclable without a lot of sorting and extra effort, steel is. In fact, lower quality steels can be made even better in terms of quality. We call this "upcycling" in the industry," says Judith Krale, new business manager for scrap at Tata Steel Nederland and responsible for the use of scrap in steel production.

‘Can deal’ contributes to 30% scrap use for green, circular steel

She is often referred to as the woman of 30%, because Krale works every day to achieve the goal of 30% scrap use in the production of cleaner, greener, and circular steel by 2030. This is ambitious, as in 2022 the share of scrap in Tata Steel's steel production was 17%. Krale states: "With new technologies for making green steel, we can also recycle more steel. So, we are always looking for more scrap, including packaging tin." To achieve this, Tata Steel Nederland has signed agreements with ten scrap companies in multiple countries: the Nederland, Belgium, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The majority of the tinplate scrap in this 'can deal' comes from the United Kingdom, as that country has been engaged in waste separation for a longer period and is therefore further ahead in waste separation than the Netherlands and its neighboring countries.

Increased steel density for a more sustainable end product

At Tata Steel Nederland, the old steel, to-be-recycled tin is called 'tin can shred' because the steel cans are crushed in a kind of industrial mincer and flattened into small pieces, with a higher steel density. This has the advantage that its processing in the Oxy Steel Plant is more efficient, which in turn contributes to a more sustainable end product.

Steel cans are the recycling champion of the Netherlands

In addition to the many advantages of steel food packaging, such as long shelf life (even outside the refrigerator) and therefore less food waste, steel cans are not only easily recyclable but also relatively easy and inexpensive to separate from other waste due to their magnetic properties. In the Netherlands, steel packaging is therefore the 'recycling champion'. Almost 95% of the packaging steel used in the Netherlands is recycled into new steel. This includes beverage and food cans, aerosol cans, and paint cans. Tinplate is therefore the most recycled packaging material.

Read also: Tata Steel deploys high-tech laser and AI for increased steel recycling

To be able to significantly increase the use of scrap in steel production in the near future, Tata Steel aims to further optimize the recycling process. A challenge in this regard is that much of the old steel, such as from old ships or railroad tracks, is too large for regular conveyors and difficult to analyze. Therefore, Tata Steel researches the use of digital laser techniques to analyze the composition of scrap directly from the truck. The process works as follows: the truck carrying scrap enters a specially constructed gate with industrial laser and analysis equipment. The laser vaporizes very small pieces of the steel locally, creating a 'plasma', a small local gas bubble containing all the components of the scrap. This can then be filmed and analyzed with special cameras. Subsequently, depending on the specific composition and criteria, the scrap can be optimally introduced into the recycling process.

AI and digital twins for reduced waste and more CO2 reduction

Tata Steel researcher Bernard Ennis states: "In this measurement and analysis process, AI is used to more quickly recognize and analyze specific types of steel based on visual characteristics, known as 'scrap image recognition'. The manufacturing process is digitally modeled, or simulated, and tested in a computational model using 'digital twins'. This innovative combination of laser, AI, and digital modeling allows for more efficient sampling, faster scrap deployment logistics, and improved product quality. Moreover, this leads to fewer process errors in scrap deployment and thus less waste and CO2 reduction." At present, the technique is being researched and developed under the 'DiGreeS program'. The first measurements with the ‘Laser- Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy’ are scheduled to take place in the first quarter of 2025, with the first results being announced. In 2026, the first prototype of the truck portal is expected to be ready for use, and the measurements and modeling will commence. Then, the implementation will follow, including the introduction of the digital twins modelled process.

'DiGreeS': Research with German and Austrian steel producers

'DiGreeS' is coordinated by the Fraunhofer Institute for Nondestructive Testing IZFP and aims to minimize the ecological footprint of the entire steel value chain through integrated digitalization. Within the 'DiGreeS' program, Tata Steel also collaborates with Saarstahl AG and the voestalpine Group. Saarstahl AG focuses on CO2 reduction of Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) techniques at Saarstahl-Ascoval through the use of artificial intelligence based digital models, while voestalpine Group researches energy efficiency and conservation in steel plate processing. Tata Steel will also utilize this new knowledge when replacing the blast furnaces and coke and gas plants with DRI and EAF in the near future, as the traditional steel production process undergoes transformation and coal is replaced by sustainable energy.