On November 7, 2026, the World Steel Association released the 2026 edition of its Climate Change and Steel Production policy paper. The paper addresses emissions from steel production, the challenges facing decarbonisation and measures intended to overcome barriers to progress.

It sets out a pathway and guidance for reducing carbon dioxide emissions, while calling on the steel industry and its value chain to work together on the transition to lower-carbon production.

The emphasis on the value chain places the issue beyond the production process alone: progress may depend on how measures are taken up across the parties involved. The paper provides an industry policy framework, but its practical effects will depend on how its proposed measures are put into practice.

For producers and other value-chain participants, a question is which barriers the paper identifies and how its proposed actions address them. Subsequent industry announcements may help show how those actions translate into practice.