Accelerating Low-Carbon Steel Adoption in China’s Real Estate Sector

 

ULI Greenprint, in partnership with World Steel Association and China Iron and Steel Association (CISA), convenes real estate developers and steel manufacturers to develop practical tools that increase low-carbon emissions steel procurement in construction projects.

Our approach focuses on co-creating standardized specifications, improving carbon data transparency, and aggregating demand signals across the supply chain. Through structured roundtables and collaborative tool development, we aim to bridge the gap between buyer requirements and supplier capabilities, ultimately enabling real projects to achieve higher low-carbon steel penetration without excessive cost premiums.

Why This Initiative Matters

Steel production accounts for 7-9% of global fossil fuel emissions. China, as the world’s largest steel producer and consumer, plays a critical role in decarbonization. The real estate industry represents approximately 30% of China’s steel consumption, creating significant leverage for market transformation.

Current barriers include fragmented procurement specifications, limited batch-level carbon data, and cost uncertainties. Our initiative addresses these challenges by aligning standardized industry practices and facilitating supply-demand coordination.

Current Signatories

Progress and Momentum

Since launching in November 2024 with events in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, we have gained support from a growing number of signatories representing significant market influence across Mainland China and Hong Kong:

  • Developer signatories manage hundreds of construction projects under development in China
  • Steel manufacturer signatories account for 29% of China’s crude steel production capacity

View the full statement here in English and Chinese

 

Our Approach: From Convening to Implementation

Industry experts across development and steel manufacturing sectors worked side-by-side to identify priority interventions and measurable targets, such as:

  • Procurement process adoption to standardize across signatory developer portfolios
  • Pilot projects demonstrating low-carbon steel integration while aiming to minimize cost impact
  • Improved data transparency to facilitate demand aggregation: to optimize demand-side construction pipeline matching with supply-side production capacity

Get Involved

For Industry Stakeholders: Join our convenings and contribute to tool development if you are involved in the steel procurement or supply chain.

For Funders: Support practical industry transformation by enabling the coordination and tool development that translates collaborative intent into measurable emissions reductions in construction projects.

General Inquiries: Contact us to explore collaboration opportunities or learn more about our approach.

Contact: Jenny Zhang, Director of Sustainability, ULI Asia Pacific

 

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: