[Kobe Steel Reaches 23% Emissions Cut Versus FY2013, Leans on HBI and Hydrogen to Hit 30% by 2030]
Kobe Steel reduced carbon emissions from its production processes by 23% in fiscal year 2025 compared with fiscal 2013, according to its ESG Data Book 2026, as it targets a 30% reduction by fiscal 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050. Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions totaled 14.9 million mt of CO2 in fiscal 2025, down from 15.4 million mt in fiscal 2024, with more than 90% originating from steelmaking. Production-based CO2 intensity remained stable at about 2.4 mt of CO2 per mt of production. The company has demonstrated an approximately 25% cut in blast furnace emissions by charging large volumes of hot briquetted iron (HBI) produced via the MIDREX process, and plans to combine HBI with biomass to meet its 2030 target, while scrap-melting furnaces and EAF capacity are under consideration for the longer term.