Giovanni Finocchiaro, Andrea Gagna, Mariangela Soraci
In 2024, for every million euros of added value, the Italian metallurgical industry, which includes the steel and non-ferrous metals sectors, emitted 653.4 t of CO₂, compared to 0.8 t of SOx, 1.5 t of NOx, 1.2 t of NMVOCs, and 13.5 t of CO. Compared to 1990, emission intensities show a marked reduction for all pollutants: SOx emissions have almost disappeared (-93.2%), CO emissions have decreased by 80.5%, NOx by 72.3%, CO2 by 73.6%, while the reduction in NMVOCs is more limited (-41.3%). In 2024, compared to 2023, the indicator improves, confirming the decrease for all pollutants (CO₂ - 14.6%, SOx -10.6%, NOx -8.6%, NMVOC -3.7%, CO -16.1%).
The indicator reports the total annual emissions of five air pollutants produced by the metallurgical industry [SI2.1] (steel industry plus non-ferrous metals industry) – CO₂ (carbon dioxide), SOx (sulfur oxides); NOx (nitrogen oxides); NMVOCs (non-methane volatile organic compounds), and CO (carbon monoxide) – to the sector's value added, expressed in millions of euros at basic prices and 2020 chain-linked prices.
Emissions are estimated according to the methodologies established by international guidelines (IPCC and EMEP/EEA) and updated annually. Each update involves a revision of the entire historical series based on additional information and the most recent methodological developments. The ratio between emissions and value added measures the quantity of pollutant per unit of economic value produced. Since added value represents the wealth actually generated by the sector, the indicator provides a summary of its emission intensity and its evolution over time without evaluating the environmental efficiency of individual production processes.
Monitor the trend of emissions from the metallurgical industry per unit of economic value produced, to inform national and European reporting on the metallurgical sector.
The regulatory framework of the indicator combines monitoring requirements for climate-altering emissions and emissions of other air pollutants.
Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 on the Governance of the Energy Union establishes, in Article 26, the obligation for Member States to transmit, by 15 March of each year, the national greenhouse gas inventory and the related emission intensity indicators referring to the year X-2, according to the structure and methods set out in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1208. These obligations are part of the broader regulatory framework outlined by the "European Climate Law", pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2021/1119, which establishes the legally binding objective of climate neutrality for the Union by 2050 and establishes, for 2030, a reduction in net greenhouse gas emissions of at least 55% compared to 1990 levels. For conventional pollutants, the indicator is aligned with the national reductions set by Directive (EU) 2016/2284 on emission limits for SOx, NOx, NMVOCs and CO, while on the industrial side, Directive 2010/75/EU on industrial emissions remains central, implemented in Italy with Legislative Decree 46/2014, which requires the adoption of best available techniques and the systematic exchange of emission data from activities subject to AIA. Taken together, these regulations set reduction targets, reporting deadlines, operating requirements for industrial plants, and requirements for accuracy, transparency, and annual review that emissions data must comply with.
ISPRA, 2026. Carbon dioxide emission intensity indicators in Italy, year 2024. https://emissioni.sina.isprambiente.it/indicatori-intensita-emissione-ossido-carbonica/
FEDERACCIAI, various years. The steel industry in numbers. Federation of Italian Steel Companies. http://www.federacciai.it/
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Federacciai
ISPRA (Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research)
Istat (National Institute of Statistics)
The carbon dioxide emission intensity indicators, officially transmitted by ISPRA every year to the EU under the Regulation on the Governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action (EU Regulation No. 1999/2018), are available at the link: https://emissioni.sina.isprambiente.it/indicatori-intensita-missione-ossido-carbonica/
in the "Reports and historical series" section.
The emission series come from the National Inventory of Atmospheric Emissions maintained by ISPRA: the datasets in NFR and SNAP format can be freely downloaded from the portal https://emissioni.sina.isprambiente.it, accompanied by the most recent detailed reports:
Report ISPRA 428/2026 – National Inventory Document 2026 – Italian Greenhouse Gas Inventory 1990-2024
ISPRA Report 426/2026 – Italian Emission Inventory 1990-2024. Informative Inventory Report 2026
both available on the website https://www.isprambiente.gov.it
The economic data comes from the ISTAT National Accounts: the table "Value added at basic prices - Metallurgical Activities sector (ATECO 24) - chained prices 2020" is accessible in open data on the I.Stat data-warehouse with export in CSV/SDMX formats dati.istat.it.
National
1990 - 2024
Intensity of emissions into the atmosphere of various pollutants (t/M€)
Starting in 1990, emissions of CO₂, SOx, NOx, NMVOCs, and CO from the metallurgical sector are extracted annually from the National Inventory of Atmospheric Emissions, prepared and updated by ISPRA. For the same period, the corresponding added value (2020 chained prices) is acquired from ISTAT National Accounts. After harmonizing the classifications used in the two sources, the emissions of each pollutant are compared to the added value to obtain the emission intensity expressed in tons per million euros; the resulting series is then normalized by setting 1990 = 100 to make the evolution easier to read. For each revision of the Inventory by ISPRA, the entire historical series of emissions is retroactively recalculated, following the EMEP/EEA guidelines and the international revisions required by EU, UNFCCC, and UNECE/CLRTAP reporting or by Istat's National Accounts.
In 2024, the emission intensity of the Italian metallurgical industry was 653.4 t of CO₂, 0.8 t of SOx, 1.5 t of NOx, 1.2 t of NMVOCs, and 13.5 t of CO per million euros (Table 1). Compared to 2023, the indicator shows an improvement for all pollutants: –14.6% CO₂, –10.6% SOx, –8.6% NOx, –3.7% NMVOCs, -16.1% CO.
From 1990 to 2024, the metallurgical industry's emissions intensity has decreased significantly for all pollutants considered. The most significant decrease was for SOx: -93.2%, followed by CO -80.5%, NOx -72.3%, CO2 -73.6%, and NMVOC -3.7%. The reduction in emissions intensity is especially evident in recent years.
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Table 1: Emission intensity in the metallurgical industry in Italy, compared to added value Fonte
ISPRA processing based on ISPRA data (CO2, NOx, SOx, CO, and NMVOC emissions) and Istat data (Value Added data). |
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Figure 1: Emission intensity (log10 scale; CO₂, SOx, NOx, NMVOC, CO in t/M€) in the metallurgical industry Fonte
ISPRA processing based on ISPRA and Istat data |
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Figure 2: Emission intensity, index 1990 = 100 for CO₂, SOx, NOx, NMVOC, CO in the metallurgical industry Fonte
ISPRA processing based on ISPRA and Istat data |
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Figure 3: Emission intensity: CO₂, SOx, NOx, NMVOC, CO in t/M€ in the metallurgical industry (2024) Fonte
ISPRA processing based on ISPRA and Istat data |
Figure 1, and even more clearly in Figure 2, shows the progressive reduction in the emission intensity of all the pollutants considered. However, for CO, NOx, CO₂, and NMVOCs, the rate of reduction in emission intensity is more limited than that observed for SOx.
As can be seen from Figure 3, in 2024, there is a marked difference between the emission intensity of CO₂ and that of the other contaminants. Overall, the emission profile of the metallurgical industry continues to be dominated by the climate-altering contribution of CO₂ and, to a lesser extent, carbon monoxide, while SOx, NOx, and NMVOCs have become residual.