Green steel

Lower climate footprint for windows and doors

ASSA ABLOY takes the next step towards a more sustainable future

By reducing the climate impact of our products and choosing greener materials – such as steel manufactured using recycled raw materials and fossil-free energy – we contribute to meeting the EU’s climate targets and creating value for our customers. Together, we can build safer and more climate-friendly solutions for the buildings of the future.

On this page, we provide in-depth information about our work with green steel, how it affects our products, and what the new EU requirements mean for professionals in the construction and real estate sectors.

Why we do it

For us at ASSA ABLOY, sustainability is about responsibility. As a supplier to the building and construction sector, we know that our products are part of a larger context, and that the choices made today affect both the climate and future building requirements.

New EU regulations are placing increasingly clear demands on climate reporting and material selection. At the same time, solutions are expected to work in everyday use while maintaining quality, security, and durability. Our work with green steel is one way of meeting both of these needs at the same time.

By reducing the climate impact of our products, and by providing clear and verified climate data, we make it easier for our customers to comply with new regulations and make well-informed decisions in their projects. It is not a matter of choosing between sustainability and performance, but of developing solutions where the two go hand in hand.

Working with green steel is therefore a natural part of our long-term efforts. It is a concrete step in a broader transition in which we, as a company, take responsibility, drive development forward, and support our customers in a rapidly changing construction industry.

Summary

New EU regulations are placing increasingly clear demands on climate reporting and material selection.
ASSA ABLOY works with green steel as a natural part of our long-term efforts to reduce climate impact and make it easier for our customers.

New EU regulations

Climate requirements in the building and real estate sector are tightening rapidly, both in Sweden and across the EU. The focus is shifting from energy performance in operation alone to covering the building’s entire climate impact — from materials and production to use and end of life.

With the EU’s Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), requirements are being introduced for reporting a building’s total climate impact over time. From 2028, the rules will apply to larger new construction projects, and from 2030 the requirement will cover all new buildings.

At the same time, requirements for construction products are being tightened through the Construction Products Regulation (CPR), where Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) will become a mandatory part of CE marking.

Information from the start

Together, these new regulations mean that climate data can no longer be handled late in a project or added afterwards. To design, procure, and construct in line with upcoming requirements, access to clear, verified, and comparable information is needed from the very beginning.

For us at ASSA ABLOY, this is a natural part of our work. By developing climate data at product level and creating solutions that meet regulatory requirements in practice, we make it easier for our customers to navigate an increasingly complex regulatory landscape.

Summary

The EU’s Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) requires reporting of a building’s total climate impact over time.
The new regulations require access to verified climate data from the start of a project.
ASSA ABLOY facilitates this by providing climate data at product level.

Market demand for change

The new regulations are not only driving change at the policy level — they are influencing how the entire market operates. Today, developers, architects, engineers, and manufacturers need to consider climate impact early in the process, and decisions that were previously made later now have consequences already at the design stage.

As a result, demand for products with verified climate data is increasing. Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) have evolved from being a supporting document in individual projects to becoming a key tool in procurement, comparison, and reporting. For many stakeholders, access to accurate and transparent data is crucial to achieving their own climate targets.

Sustainability has therefore become an integrated part of the business. Companies that adapt early to new requirements not only gain better control over their projects, but are also better prepared as market expectations continue to rise.

We take responsibility

For us at ASSA ABLOY, this means a clear responsibility. By reducing the climate impact of our products while offering reliable climate data, we support our customers in their work—without compromising on security, functionality, or quality.

Summary

The new regulations place requirements already at the design stage.
Environmental Product Declarations and sustainability have become an integrated part of projects and business.
ASSA ABLOY takes responsibility by reducing the climate impact of our products and supporting our customers.

Step 1 – Espagnolette bolts

When we began analyzing the climate impact of our products, we chose to start where we could make a real difference. In many door and window solutions, analyses showed that the steel rail in the espagnolette bolts accounted for a significant portion of the product’s total carbon footprint.

By switching to Outokumpu’s Circle Green steel, made with recycled material and fossil-free energy, we can reduce the climate impact of these products by approximately 37 percent compared with the material we currently use. This change is achieved without affecting functionality, safety, or durability.

Implementation
From spring 2026, we will begin phasing in the new material in our espagnolette bolts for windows, patio doors, and multipoint locks (MPLs). At the same time, we are preparing three new Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) to make it easier for our customers to report climate data and use our products in projects with clear sustainability requirements.

Product labeling
The new products will be labeled “Reduced Carbon Footprint.” This is a clear signal that even components that often go unnoticed play a role in reducing a building’s climate impact. Work on espagnolette bolts is our first step, but far from the last. Together with our product teams, we continue to identify more areas where we can reduce climate impact in a tangible and verifiable way.

Summary

Espagnolette bolts account for a significant part of the product’s total carbon footprint.
ASSA ABLOY’s updated versions reduce climate impact by approximately 37 percent.
Green steel will be implemented in our espagnolette bolts in spring 2026.
The new products will be labeled “Reduced Carbon Footprint.”

Implementation

The transition to green steel is taking place gradually and with clear foresight. For us, it is important that changes in materials and production do not create uncertainty in projects, but instead contribute to a smooth transition for our customers.

From spring 2026, we will begin phasing in the new material in our espagnolette bolts for windows, patio doors, and multipoint locks (MPL). The implementation will be carried out in a controlled manner and in line with our regular product flows, meaning that functionality, quality, and delivery reliability will remain unchanged.

New Environmental Product Declarations
In parallel with the rollout, we are preparing three new Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) linked to the updated products. This ensures that climate data is available when needed as a basis for design, procurement, and climate calculations in accordance with new regulations.

Simple for the customer
For our customers, this means that the product changes will be easy to manage in practice. The same solutions, the same performance, but with a lower climate footprint and better conditions to meet increased requirements for documentation and transparency. This is how we ensure that the transition does not become an obstacle, but a natural part of the future of construction.

Summary

Green steel will be implemented in our espagnolette bolts in spring 2026.
ASSA ABLOY is preparing three new Environmental Product Declarations.
We make it easy for our customers to manage the transition in practice.

Since 2022, our emission reduction targets have been validated by SBTi. They cover our entire operations and the full value chain, from our own production to purchased materials, transportation, and how our products are used and recycled. In this way, we gain a comprehensive view of where our emissions arise and where actions make the greatest difference.

Our targets mean that we will halve emissions in our own operations, so-called Scope 1 and 2, by 2030. At the same time, climate impact in Scope 3, which covers the broader value chain, will be reduced by 28 percent during the same period. The goal is to reach net zero emissions across the entire value chain by 2050 at the latest.

The work with green steel and reduced climate impact in our products is a concrete part of this roadmap. Through science-based targets, we ensure that every step we take contributes to long-term change and provides our customers with the conditions to achieve their own climate targets with solutions they can trust.

Summary

ASSA ABLOY works in accordance with the Science Based Targets initiative, SBTi.
Target to halve emissions in our own operations by 2030.
Target to reach net zero emissions across the entire value chain by 2050.
Also provides our customers with the conditions to achieve their own climate targets.

Green steel

ASSA ABLOY takes the next step towards a more sustainable future

Why we do it

A step in the right direction (Read more)

New EU regulations

Reporting requirements (Read more)

Market demand for change

A key tool (Read more)

Step 1 – Espagnolette bolts

Reduction by 37% (Read more)

Implementation

New Environmental Product Declarations (Read more)

Clear climate targets (Read more)