23 May 2025
Securing vital environmental data in the European steel industry
Luleå University of Technology has been appointed as the coordinator for the EU project PRISMA, focusing on the development of digitalized solutions for environmental data within the European steel industry. The four-year collaboration aims to improve how the steel sector meets increasing demands for accessible environmental data for climate reporting and traceability, such as tracking CO₂ emissions throughout a product's entire value chain.
“This project truly highlights the role Swedish research can play in the green transition of Europe’s heavy industry. Being entrusted to lead this collaboration is a testament to our expertise in both digitalization and sustainable industry,” says Pär-Erik Martinsson, project coordinator at Luleå University of Technology.
Bringing together major steel producers and machine suppliers
The PRISMA project brings together 16 partners from across Europe, including four of the continent’s leading steel producers—ABS, Celsa, Ori Martin, and Tata Steel—in a joint initiative alongside world-leading equipment suppliers—Danieli, Primetals, SMS, and Tenova—to digitalize and standardize environmental data within steel production. The goal is to develop a shared digital infrastructure that enables measurement and sharing of data on CO₂ emissions and sustainability indicators throughout the value chain.
“The steel industry accounts for a significant share of Europe’s total CO₂ emissions. To meet climate targets, entirely new tools are needed to collect, analyze, and share data, and PRISMA is an important step forward,” says Jerker Delsing, Professor in Cyber-Physical Systems at Luleå University of Technology.
Sharp tests at the steel producers
The project's solutions will undergo real-world testing at participating steel producers to ensure that the tools function effectively and can be scaled across the sector. Luleå University of Technology’s primary responsibility is to develop a Unified Environmental Data Model (UEDM)—a common language for environmental data that will be used by all stakeholders in the project.
“This is about creating the conditions for transparency and comparability. If the industry is to make informed decisions regarding climate and production, we need to speak the same digital language,” says Pär-Erik Martinsson.
The PRISMA project exemplifies how academia and industry can collaborate to create standardized solutions addressing both current and future sustainability challenges. The project has a budget of €10 million and was officially launched 1 April.
Contact
Pär-Erik Martinsson
Jerker Delsing
- Professor, Chaired Professor
- 0920-491898
- jerker.delsing@ltu.se
- Jerker Delsing
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