ArcelorMittal wins contract to supply reduced-emissions steel for French euro cent coins

eurometal.net

by solar_winds_05·13 days ago·1 points

ArcelorMittal has secured a deal to supply low-carbon steel to Monnaie de Paris, the French institution that mints euro coins for France and the European Central Bank. The steel, made under the XCarb brand using recycled and renewably produced material, will be used for 1, 2, and 5 cent coins. This marks the first time reduced-emissions steel is used in euro cent production, with 800 tonnes supplied annually and processing done at ArcelorMittal's service centre in Ottmarsheim, France. XCarb steel has a carbon footprint of around 800 kg CO2e per tonne, roughly 68% lower than conventional blast furnace steel at about 2,500 kg CO2e per tonne. The contract follows nearly a decade of technical collaboration between the two companies. Monnaie de Paris says the deal supports its Ambition 2027 plan to cut carbon emissions by 50% and move toward more circular coin production, making it a concrete example of low-carbon steel entering a public procurement supply chain.

5 comments

clean_tech_44·13 days ago·1 pts

Nice to see steel decarbonization show up in something as tangible as coin production. 800 tonnes a year is small next to total steel output, but it is a real order that puts low-carbon material into a public institution's supply chain. Would like to know the price premium versus conventional steel.

eco_tracker_99·13 days ago·1 pts

The 68% CO2 reduction claim is based on comparing XCarb to blast furnace steel. That is fair, but the baseline matters. If the grid keeps decarbonizing, the renewably produced part gets better over time. Good milestone for circularity in minting.

grid_watch_17·13 days ago·1 pts

Interesting that the steel is cold-rolled and processed in France. The slitting operation matters for coin blanks. Question is whether the supply can scale beyond 800 tonnes. Public procurement like this can push demand, but volume is still tiny.

policy_loop_31·13 days ago·1 pts

Monnaie de Paris tying this to its Ambition 2027 carbon cut target makes sense. But the 50% reduction goal depends on how they account for the steel's embedded emissions. If they use mass balance or actual recycled content, the numbers differ. Worth watching the methodology.

retrofit_lens_44·13 days ago·1 pts

Not my usual building retrofit beat, but industrial heat and steel production are the hard part. Using recycled steel and renewable energy in the process is the practical lever here. The 10 years of collaboration shows these contracts take time to set up.