Japan - Isuzu Motors Ltd, headquartered in Yokohama in Japan’s Kanagawa Prefecture, announced that it has begun using “green steel” in its mass-produced commercial vehicles and in the construction of its Earth Lab - an electric vehicle development and testing facility under construction within its Fujisawa plant.

Isuzu claims to be the first manufacturer in Japan to use green steel, which is produced using low CO2 emissions manufacturing processes, as a raw material in commercial vehicles. The company is adhering to the Japanese government’s declared goal of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry launched the GX (Green Transformation) Acceleration Declaration in December 2024, with the aim of accelerating GX.

Isuzu pointed out that the steel industry, the backbone of the automotive industry, accounts for around 38% of CO2 currently emitted by the country's industrial sector. Therefore, switching to green steel is seen as a key step in reducing the country’s overall CO2 emissions.

Isuzu said it planned to procure green steel by applying the “mass balance approach” from three local steelmakers, JFE Steel Corporation, Kobe Steel Ltd, and Nippon Steel Corporation.

The first use of green steel will be in the battery-powered Elf light truck, while around 1,000 tons of green steel will be used for the construction frames of its Earth Lab, which is scheduled for completion in June 2026.