Tokyo Steel introduces a low-carbon brand

Tokyo Steel of Japan has joined the ranks of global steelmakers now offering branded low-carbon steel products, and the company has selected "Ensō" as the name of its new proprietary green steel brand.

According to the company, which made the announcement of the low-carbon product in cooperation with London-based steel trading firm Stemcor Group, the Ensō circle “holds deep symbolism and cultural significance in Japan.”

As a symbol, it represents various concepts including eternity, infinity, harmony and balance, and the cyclical nature of life, the companies say.

“As such, Ensō symbolizes Tokyo Steel’s commitment to the ‘circular economy’ through their products, whilst the circular Ensō logo transitions from charcoal to green to symbolize the evolution from carbon intensive production to green steel,” Tokyo Steel and Stemcor add.

The steel producer says it achieves lower embodied carbon emissions in the new product line through the use of electric arc furnace (EAF) production using recycled steel scrap, although it does not indicate the average recycled steel percentage in its initial announcement.

The Ensō product offering will initially include hot-rolled coil (HRC) and hot-rolled late (HRP) versions, with plans to expand the range over time.

The new Tokyo Steel product includes approximately one-third of the embodied carbon emissions compared with the market leading EU blast furnace producer. That could be referring to the ArcelorMittal XCarb product line, which was introduced in 2021, although ArcelorMittal is in the midst of investing to install more EAF capacity in Europe.

While the name Ensō might be new, Tokyo Steel says it has been supplying its range of HRC and HRP products to the EU market for some time, fulfilling what Tokyo Steel and Stemcor call a “growing demand from its customers for low embodied carbon steel.”

Tokyo Steel has plans to make an ultra-low carbon emissions product, manufactured using 100 percent renewable energy, and it says that option should be available to customers later this year.

“Tokyo Steel is by definition a low-carbon emission producer of steel products,” says Hisanori-Sakai, an executive with the company. “Whilst we have had a stable export business supplying European customers who recognize the important advantages our production route brings, we decided it was important to launch the Ensō brand to highlight our commitment to the circular economy and attaining even lower levels of embodied carbon emissions.

“[We] will continue to work toward achieving the lowest possible levels of embodied carbon emissions with the application of proprietary technological advances and enhanced levels of renewable energy in the production process.”

A statement by Stemcor Group says, “As we head closer to full implementation of the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), companies are proactively looking to secure supply chains of these cleaner basic materials, and Tokyo Steel’s Ensō product range is therefore highly attractive.”