Steelpaint Warns Against Carbon Emissions of Steel Corrosion

Germany-based corrosion specialist Steelpaint is calling for urgent action to address the significant environmental impact of steel corrosion, warning that inadequate corrosion protection is contributing more to global CO₂ emissions than the entire aviation industry. With the maritime industries consuming an estimated 100 million tonnes of steel annually, premature corrosion and subsequent steel renewal work is increasing carbon emissions dramatically, said Steelpaint’s Managing Director Klaus Müller.

Steel production remains one of the most carbon-intensive industrial processes. Producing a single 10m by 10m, 20mm thick steel plate emits about 3t of CO₂. Factor in transportation costs and the need for additional coatings, and the carbon footprint looms large.

This is underscored by joint research study carried out by Curtin University and The Ohio State University and published in 2022, which estimates that 25% of global steel production is lost to corrosion, with replacement and renewal accounting for 4 to 9% of total emissions globally.

Global demand for steel in 2024 was 1.8 billion tonnes and forecast to grow by 2.9% by 2030. The shipbuilding industry alone consumes 32.2 million tonnes per year, of which China, South Korea, and Japan use 88.3%.

The shipping industry remains one of the world’s largest emitters of CO₂, producing 858 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2022, surpassing the aviation sector. With IMO tightening emissions regulations, companies are under pressure to adopt low-carbon solutions that extend infrastructure life cycles while reducing environmental impact.