Lead the Charge

South Korea just made an important policy move to protect the future of the country’s steel industry with a $700+ billion investment through the Korea Green Transformation (K-GX) Strategy. 1/5 www.linkedin.com/posts/unpack...

biz.chosun.comKorea Fair Trade Commission orders POSCO to correct false eco-friendly claimsKorea Fair Trade Commission orders POSCO to correct false eco-friendly claims

And perhaps most importantly - how will ‘green steel’ be defined under K-GX? POSCO - a major supplier to Hyundai as well as Nissan - was ordered by the Fair Trade Commission in South Korea to withdraw sustainability claims about its steel products. 4/5 biz.chosun.com/en/en-policy...

Given that both Hyundai and POSCO have this history of marketing steel produced in coal-powered blast furnaces as ‘eco-friendly,’ strong independent standards for green steel certification will be key to the success of K-GX. 5/5

The aim of K-GX is to bring industrial decarbonization, clean energy, and green investment under a broader economic growth strategy through 2035. 2/5

But Solutions for Our Climate is asking important questions about how the policy will be implemented and what this means for the future of existing steel infrastructure. Does this new policy mean that polluting coal-powered blast furnaces owned by Hyundai and POSCO will be retired? And when? 3/5

eletric-vehicles.comGM Builds First EVs With Cells Using Recycled Nickel, Cobalt, Manganese | EVGeneral Motors has started building EVs with battery cells whose cathode nickel, cobalt and manganese come entirely from recycled material. The cells come from a pilot with Cirba Solutions that used m...

Good news for circular battery supply chain advocates - GM is building EVs with battery cells whose cathode nickel, cobalt and manganese come entirely from recycled material. eletric-vehicles.com/general-moto...

A new report from @business-humanrights.org makes the case that “the greatest threat to the energy transition may not be a shortage of minerals, but a growing shortage of public trust in how decisions about extraction are being made.” www.business-humanrights.org/en/from-us/b...

forbes.comThe Only Real Hedge Against Diesel Shock Is An Electric TruckRecord diesel prices from the Iran war show the US needs electric trucks; China and Europe surge ahead while US rollbacks stall adoption—California and Tesla push ahead.

Former EPA Director & Chair Emeritus of @theicct.org Margo T. Oge told Forbes the shocking true story of how European truck companies are colluding with the Trump administration to delay the transition to electric trucks. 1/5 www.forbes.com/sites/margoo...

“Daimler, Volvo and Traton went to court to defend the repeal of every federal vehicle climate standard. These are the same companies that have pledged 50% zero-emission truck sales by 2030. Now their customers, most of them small, family-owned businesses, are paying the price...” 4/5

What’s the solution, if these major truck makers are working with Trump to slow the transition to electric trucks? She points to SB1213 in California, which requires price transparency for electric trucks bought with public funds. 5/5

Regular families are paying the costs of the diesel crisis: “Truckers pay first -- a long-haul driver has paid roughly $15,000 more for diesel since the war began. Then the costs move through freight bills to farms, construction sites, stores and ultimately to the wallets of families.” 2/5

Then she describes how Volvo, Daimler and TRATON have actively participated in the roll-back of climate standards that would have helped get more diesel-cost-proof electric trucks on US and EU roads. 3/5

oxfordenergy.orgoxfordenergy.org

This new study from the Oxford Center for Energy Studies looked at the role of European automakers in decarbonizing the steel sector, and identified barriers to the transition. www.oxfordenergy.org/wpcms/wp-con...

speakslouder.orgConsumers are ready for green steel cars. Automakers are not. - Action Speaks LouderNew survey shows consumers want green steel cars—82% in Korea, 71% in the US would pay more. Automakers' low-carbon targets still lag behind.

Consumers are ready to pay a little more for a vehicle made with decarbonized steel. 💰 82% of Korean & 71% of US consumers said they would pay more for a vehicle made with green steel 🚙 67% in Korea & 51% in the US said they would choose the green steel vehicle speakslouder.org/report/green...

esgtoday.comNew EU Anti-Greenwashing Rules Enter into Force - ESG TodayThe EU’s new Directive on Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition, (ECGT) entered into application on Sunday, establishing a series of new rules aimed at protecting consumers from deceptive sust...

The EU’s Directive on Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition is now active, establishing new rules aimed at protecting consumers from deceptive sustainability-related marketing, cracking down on both unverified green claims & hidden product obsolescence. www.esgtoday.com/new-eu-anti-...

How much CO2 does a blast furnace emit? How much more carbon does a blast furnace pump out over its extended lifespan when relined? The new Blast Furnace Emissions Calculator from @steelwatch.bsky.social puts the impacts of relining decisions into context. steelwatch.org/bf-calculator

missionpossiblepartnership.orgLetter calling for increased ambition in Industrial Accelerator Act - Mission Possible PartnershipPioneering solutions that advance clean industrial transformation to power the world’s economies and help society flourish.

A group of steelmakers and large steel buyers (including one automaker - Polestar!) just signed an open letter to the EU’s co-legislators calling for increased ambition to attract new investment in the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA). 1/3 missionpossiblepartnership.org/industrial-a...

The letter, convened by Mission Possible Partnership, E3G and Steel Zero, calls on legislators to strengthen the proposed IAA by: 0️⃣ Adding demand side incentives for near-0 emissions materials 🏃Moving fast to establish definitions 🏦 Setting market signals high enough to trigger new investments 2/3

🇪🇺 Clarify “Made in Europe” (MiE) rules to protect strategic industries without sacrificing flexibility 🧪 Extend demand-side measures to include chemicals and fertilisers 📋 Ensure coherence with other EU legislative files, notably the newly released Public Procurement Act 3/3

supplychainbrain.comCleaner Automotive Supply Chains Start with Indigenous Peoples’ ConsentIndigenous peoples’ advocacy and growing scrutiny of mineral supply chains are moving their rights closer to the center of responsible sourcing debates.

Check out this new piece in Supply Chain Brain from Nalori Chakma at the @tallgrassinst.bsky.social and Bryan Bixcul from SIRGE Coalition on the need to protect Indigenous Peoples’ rights in auto supply chains. www.supplychainbrain.com/blogs/1-thin...

The Lead the Charge network has joined 43 other organisations calling on all corporate standards bodies to strengthen their own governance. 1/3 Read the full list of principles at standardsgovernance.org

Voluntary standards bodies, including the CMSI, GHG Protocol, Science Based Targets initiative and ISO, play an important role in shaping how companies act to reduce their impacts. 2/3

standardsgovernance.orgPrinciples for Good Governance in Corporate StandardsAn open letter calling on corporate standards bodies to commit to ten principles of good governance.

Weak governance structures leave these bodies open to undue influence, threatening the integrity of the standards they set. We’re calling for 10 principles covering issues from financial transparency, to conflict-of-interest, to respect for scientific foundations. standardsgovernance.org 3/3

21 Sept

Visiting NYC this week for #NYCClimateWeek2026? Don’t miss these events from Lead the Charge member organizations. Visit leadthecharge.org/nyclimatewee... to learn more and register for these events.

autorecyclingworld.comAutomakers And Recyclers Make The Case For Closer Ties On The Road To CircularityAutomakers and recyclers are becoming increasingly interdependent. ReMA’s Detroit panel explored how closer collaboration can advance circularity, improve material recovery and strengthen the automoti...

16 Sept

Battery recyclers & automakers need to align to ensure circular EV battery supply chains. At an event for the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, reps from Ford & Toyota talked about the need for closer partnerships between automakers & battery recyclers. 1/3 autorecyclingworld.com/automakers-a...

16 Sept

“We as OEMs realize that we’re very dependent on [recyclers] to get the materials we need for our vehicles. That is one of the big reasons why we need to expand that relationship.” - Mark Bacchus, senior manager of chemical and materials stewardship at Toyota North America. 2/3

16 Sept

“We each produce what the other needs. That symbiotic relationship is what really drives circularity. We’re looking to partner together to help improve recovery, sortation, and separation.” - Ellen Lee, Ford’s technical leader of advanced polymer technologies. 3/3

autorecyclingworld.comBMW’s Vision For A Circular Battery FutureBMW Group’s Franz Geyer shares his vision for battery recycling in Europe, including direct recycling, circularity, investment and the role of the Cell Recycling Competence Centre.

Franz Geyer, Head of Technology and Strategy at BMW Group on the future of circular EV battery supply chains: “Battery recycling will be a cornerstone of a sustainable and competitive battery ecosystem in Europe." 1/4 autorecyclingworld.com/bmws-vision-...

"Second, significant long-term investment from both private and public stakeholders will be required to develop the necessary infrastructure and technologies. Europe already has strong industrial capabilities and innovative companies in this field." 3/4

These strengths should be nurtured and supported to ensure that critical know-how, technologies, and value creation remain within Europe. Ultimately, success will depend on close collaboration between industry, policymakers, researchers, and investors." 4/4

"To unlock its full potential, several conditions are essential. First, the industry needs stable and supportive regulatory frameworks that encourage investment, innovation, and industrial scale-up." 2/4

South Korea has nearly everything required to build a massively profitable clean steel industry to ensure the future of its industrial base employing 1.8M people, according to a new study from @Mission Possible Partnership. 1/5 missionpossiblepartnership.org/wp-content/u...

"Demand at that scale would support several projects, giving Korea the experience to drive down costs and capture the wider opportunity.” 4/5

Hyundai can also do much more, as a leader in the Korean steel industry. Upcoming relining decisions offer the company a huge opportunity to accelerate Korea’s transition to cleaner steel. 5/5

The only missing piece? Revenue certainty for steelmakers. And that’s a solvable problem. 2/5

According to Mission Possible: “The most direct fix is within Korea's control. As other markets have done, Korea could use public procurement, automotive mandates and trade-linked demand to underwrite around 6 Mt of production against a ~20 Mt wave of reline projects." 3/5

automotivelogistics.mediaHow auto supply chains should prepare for EUFLR complianceAs Europe's automotive supply chain prepares to comply with the EU Forced Labour Regulation, Kharon experts share their advice and thoughts on the guidelines.

Risk management experts at Kharon have some advice for automakers preparing to comply with the EU Forced Labour Regulation, set to take effect in December 2027. 1/5 www.automotivelogistics.media/supply-chain...

📋 Build the document trail ready to be produced within the 30-60 working day response window if an investigation opens 4/5

⛓️ Screen entities across supply chains for forced labour risks, including by relying on open-source information in contexts where social audits won’t be considered credible ✅ Assess and prioritise forced labour risks against the same criteria authorities will use 5/5

They urge automakers to: 🗺️ Map supply chains and identify high-risk products, components and sourcing regions 🧑‍⚖️ Embed forced labour due diligence into corporate policies, governance documents and management systems 2/5

🤝 Review and update procurement policies and supplier codes of conduct, and build forced labour clauses, cascading due diligence requirements and disengagement grounds into supplier contracts and onboarding 3/5

theicct.orgEstimating green steel production costs in the United States - International Council on Clean TransportationRecently enacted and proposed federal fiscal policies, such as the Inflation Reduction Act’s 45V clean hydrogen production tax credits and provisions within the Steel Modernization Act of 2024, could ...

8 Sept

.@theicct.org just released new research showing that the US could make decarbonized steel cost-competitive with coal-based steel production with just one policy move. 1/3 theicct.org/publication/...

8 Sept

The report found that producing green steel via a greenfield H2-DRI-EAF facility is about 34% costlier than production via a relined blast furnace-basic oxygen furnace. But the US could bring the cost difference to just 5% by implementing fiscal policies as originally proposed. 2/3

8 Sept

This would entail: 💳 Extending the Section 45V tax credit (responsible for nearly half of the savings!) 🫧 10 years of 45V clean hydrogen tax credits 💰$500 million grant and near-zero emission intensity iron production tax credit from the Steel Modernization Act of 2024 3/3

1 Sept

This month in the newsletter: ⛓️ Why investment in clean industry creates resilient supply chains 💚 China and Europe come together to develop green steel industries ♻️ Rivian announces that over 25% of their R2 model is made from recycled or bio-based materials www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-in...

insideclimatenews.orgChina’s EV Problem: What Happens When Millions of Batteries Die? - Inside Climate NewsAcross the country, many retired electric vehicle batteries are processed by uncertified recyclers, creating environmental and worker safety risks.

China is facing a new challenge as its first wave of EV and home batteries age out of useful life. The country has enough certified battery recyclers to handle the influx of retired batteries and return their useful components to the battery supply chain. 1/4 insideclimatenews.org/news/3007202...

“China is adopting a similar approach to Europe’s ‘battery passport’ system, requiring automakers to bear greater responsibility for collecting and recycling used batteries. Batteries removed from retired vehicles must be directed through approved channels and processed by certified companies." 3/4

“‘Automakers have to take responsibility, even if it pushes up costs,’ he said. ‘Car owners must be aware of their responsibility too. They have to be willing to sacrifice a small amount of money rather than sell batteries to the informal recyclers.’” 4/4