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.

"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