While productive as one of the pillars of India’s economic growth and development, the steel industry was responsible for significant carbon emissions. Steel production in India used the traditional blast furnace method, which was highly carbon-intensive and known for a detrimental effect on environmental sustainability. Tata Steel, aiming to achieve net zero by 2045, embarked on a positive yet arduous journey to embrace sustainability and circularity.
This case explores how Tata Steel studied the Indian and global scrap market including the electric arc furnace (EAF) process which used steel scrap as a major component to make new steel. The EAF process held promise, as it was based on circularity principles and energy efficiency. But in an emerging country such as India, scrap had not been considered for recycling purposes and sourcing high quantities of scrap looked to be difficult. For Tata Steel to stay on schedule toward its 2045 target would require a new approach to procure scrap and use it in steel making.