GMH Gruppe among the pioneers of LESS certification – with products reaching Grade B

GMH Gruppe is among the first steel producers to be certified under the new Low Emission Steel Standard (LESS). As a pilot company in the auditing process, together with another steelmaker, the group has been instrumental in shaping this new benchmark for sustainable steel. The certification confirms that GMH Gruppe has already achieved Grade B, one of the leading categories for climate-friendly steel, at Georgsmarienhütte GmbH, the largest steel producer within the group, and has also classified products in Grades C and D.

LESS sets the new benchmark for sustainable steel

LESS was developed by industry, science and policymakers to promote comparability and transparency in the evaluation of low-carbon steel. The standard is built around three core elements:

1. Grading of climate performance on a scale from E (lowest) to A (highest within the low-emission categories), complemented by an additional “Near Zero” status. This top-level classification is only achievable if the entire supply chain is demonstrably decarbonized.

2. Disclosure of the scrap share, indicating the proportion of recycled material used in the production process.

3. Information about Product Carbon Footprint (PCF), providing a quantifiable and comparable measure of CO₂ emissions across the full value chain, including upstream and downstream processes such as electricity generation and alloy production. The Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) is not determined within the LESS standard itself, but must be verified independently. Nevertheless, steel producers are expected to disclose the PCF of the final product on the LESS label.

Together, these elements create a transparent framework that lays the foundation for green lead markets across Europe’s basic materials industries.

GMH Gruppe’s achievement: Grade B and beyond

Certification up to Grade B demonstrates GMH Gruppe’s substantial progress in decarbonizing its production processes and its ability to combine low emissions with a high share of recycled material. Additional classifications in Grades C and D reflect the diversity of the group’s portfolio within the framework of the new LESS system.

“With LESS, we can now provide clear and independently verified evidence of the climate performance of our steel. Achieving Grade B at such an early stage underlines our pioneering role and positions us as a strong partner for customers aiming for climate-neutral products,” said Dr. Anne-Marie Großmann, Member of the Board of GMH Gruppe.

Transparency and validation as guiding principles

GMH Gruppe already produces steel in electric arc furnaces based on recycled scrap, reducing CO₂ emissions by around 80 percent compared with the conventional blast furnace route (Scope 1 and 2). Since 2023, Georgsmarienhütte GmbH has been providing its customers with the Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) for all grades. This methodology, validated by TÜV SÜD, is applied to more than 1,000 steel variants. LESS certification was therefore a logical step in continuing the group’s long-standing commitment to transparency and accountability.

A milestone for green lead markets

The introduction of LESS is a breakthrough for the European steel industry. It creates a fair and transparent basis for evaluating and pricing climate-friendly raw materials, enabling both the public sector and private companies to make informed procurement decisions. “LESS is a decisive step toward the transparency needed to establish green lead markets. It will accelerate the acceptance of climate-friendly steel, and GMH Gruppe is proud to be at the forefront of this transformation,” Großmann emphasized.

“The success of LESS is built on the commitment of its member companies,” highlighted Dr. Carmen Ostwald, Secretary General of LESS aisbl. “The initial pilot certifications posed a particular challenge, and I’m deeply grateful that GMH Gruppe stepped forward to actively support this process. It makes me all the more pleased to award one of the very first LESS certificates to GMH Gruppe.”