[Translate to English:] © Jürgen Huhn​/​TU Dortmund
EU Project

Challenges of a Sustainable Steel Industry

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Photo: A man wearing safety goggles and work gloves holds up a silver metal plate with cutouts and examines it closely. © KOTO​​/​​​​stock.adobe.com
The new EU project is conducting research on sustainable steel production and considers people and technology together.
This summer marks the launch of the European research project “SUPER – sustainable future steel production and people recruiting and skilling.” The international consortium, in which the Social Research Center (sfs) at TU Dortmund University is involved, is addressing the key challenges facing the steel industry on the path to climate neutrality. As a sector with high greenhouse gas emissions, it must advance de-carbonization while also dealing with an aging workforce and difficulties in recruiting young employees. Instead of addressing these challenges separately, the project creates synergies by considering technological advancement alongside talent development across industries, disciplines, and regions.

At the heart of the project is a training and recruitment program that will take place in Gliwice, Poland. Participants will visit three steel plants, a steel research institute, and a metallurgy museum, and, for example, discuss career pathways in the steel industry in working groups. The focus will be on challenges such as the shortage of skilled workers, changes brought about by digitalization, and the industry’s image. In addition, the project partners will assess the current state of technology development, present de-carbonization scenarios, and review existing recruitment and qualification activities.

Linking social and technological innovations

The Social Research Center Dortmund brings its extensive expertise in linking social and technological innovations to the project: “In the past, we have already conducted research on the competency requirements of a sustainable steel and process industry, and especially on social innovation and industrial transformation,” says Antonius Schröder of the sfs. The sfs team – Antonius Schröder, Adrian Götting, and Beata Lewandowska – will evaluate the project’s recruitment and qualification activities, provide scientific support for the training programs, and develop strategies to improve recruitment in the steel sector.

SUPER is funded by the EU for two years, coordinated by VDEh Betriebsforschungsinstitut GmbH Düsseldorf (BFI), and implemented in cooperation with six partner institutions and one associated partner. The results are intended to help shape European strategies for a socially and environmentally sustainable industry.

About the project

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