ULI Greenprint Initiative

Convening Supply Chain To Scale Low Carbon Emissions Steel for Real Estate

ULI Greenprint is proud to serve as a convening organization for an important new initiative to accelerate the adoption of low carbon emissions steel in the real estate sector both in Mainland China and Hong Kong.

Why This Matters

Steel production is a major source of global carbon emissions, accounting for approximately 7-9% of direct emissions from the global use of fossil fuels. As the world’s largest steel producer and consumer, China plays a critical role in decarbonizing this sector. The real estate industry, which represents about 30% of China’s steel consumption, has significant potential to drive demand for lower-carbon alternatives.

Decarbonizing steel production is essential for addressing climate change, but it requires collaboration across the entire supply chain. By bringing together leading real estate developers and steel manufacturers, we aim to send a clear signal for low carbon emissions steel and catalyze action to reduce emissions.

The Joint Statement 

ULI Greenprint, in partnership with the World Steel Association and China Iron and Steel Association (CISA), is facilitating a joint statement from major real estate and steel companies committing to voluntary efforts to promote low carbon emissions steel adoption in Mainland China and Hong Kong.

Companies joining the statement agree to make efforts to:

  • Improving disclosure and transparency of carbon emissions data from the lifecycle of steel products
  • Incorporating low carbon emissions steel options into procurement processes for real estate projects, whenever feasible
  • Enhancing collaboration to address the cost of low carbon emissions steel and other challenges
  • Promoting standards for low carbon emissions steel appropriate for global and local markets
  • Maintain a collaborative and constructive dialogue with all participating companies and organisations

View the full statement here in English and Chinese

Current Signatories

Call to Action

If you are involved in steel procurement for real estate in China as an owner, developer or investor, and you would like to help accelerate decarbonization of steel supply in real estate, we invite you to join this important initiative. Contact Jenny Zhang at ULI Asia Pacific to learn more about becoming a signatory to the joint statement and participating in future collaborations.

Next Steps

ULI will continue to engage endorsing organizations and the broader industry through workshops, webinars and other programs to facilitate ongoing dialogue and action on low carbon emissions steel adoption. We aim to convene the endorsing organizations regularly to review progress and action steps.

By working together across the supply chain, we can accelerate the transition to low carbon emissions steel production and make a significant impact on reducing emissions in China’s real estate sector.

Resource Hub

To support industry efforts in adopting low carbon emissions steel, we’ve compiled a selected list of research on this topic:

ULI Resources:

External Resources: