SteelWatch

What SteelWatch does

SteelWatch is an international non-profit civil society organization registered as a Stichting (Dutch foundation) in The Hague, Netherlands, founded in June 2023. Its sole mission is to challenge the global steel industry to decarbonize and to support civil society in holding the sector accountable. The organization targets the steel industry's contribution of 7-8% of global GHG emissions and 11% of global CO2 emissions by producing independent research, exposing greenwashing, and conducting advocacy campaigns against specific major steelmakers.

The organization's core offerings consist of research publications and analytical tools, not commercial software. These include the SteelWatch Corporate Scorecard (annual assessment of steelmakers' transition readiness), the Steelmaker Transformation Tracker (data tool tracking decarbonisation progress), Corporate Climate Assessment Reports focused on ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel, the SteelWatch Explainer Series on steelmaking and climate topics, and ongoing commentary. All materials are distributed free of charge through steelwatch.org. The team is distributed across 10+ countries spanning Europe, Asia, North America, Africa, and Australia, with multilingual content produced in English, Japanese, and Korean.

SteelWatch's business model is that of a non-profit NGO. Revenue consists of grants and donations (the firm is registered as a Dutch Stichting and publishes ANBI statements), not commercial transactions. There is no pricing structure and no paying customer segment; rather, stakeholder segments include the global steel industry (as advocacy targets), other civil society organizations (as coalition partners and capacity-building beneficiaries), and institutional investors (as co-filers of shareholder proposals). The go-to-market approach is community-led advocacy: publishing reports, conducting campaigns, staging protests at shareholder meetings, and coordinating through coalitions such as the Fair Steel Coalition and partnerships with Solutions for Our Climate (SFOC), ACCR, Corporate Action Japan, and Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM).

Name

SteelWatch

Legal name

SteelWatch

Website

https://steelwatch.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SteelWatch is a Netherlands-based international non-profit (Stichting) founded in 2023 that challenges the global steel industry to decarbonize through independent research, corporate climate assessments, shareholder engagement, and coalition advocacy targeting major steelmakers including ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Den Haag

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. NGO Funding and Grants: As a non-profit civil society organization, SteelWatch operates on funding from grants and donations to support their advocacy work. Their annual reports indicate they are registered as a Stichting (Dutch foundation) and publish ANBI statements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SteelWatch is a non-profit civil society organization that challenges the global steel industry to decarbonize through independent research, corporate climate assessments, data tracking tools, and public advocacy campaigns. It produces annual Corporate Scorecards, Transformation Trackers, company-specific Climate Assessment Reports, and educational explainers, all distributed free of charge to support civil society accountability efforts targeting major steelmakers.

Product overview

SteelWatch is a civil society organization that does not operate a commercial software product or platform. Its offerings consist of research publications, analysis tools, and advocacy content focused on steel industry decarbonisation. The core portfolio includes the SteelWatch Corporate Scorecard (annual assessment of steelmakers' transition readiness), the Steelmaker Transformation Tracker (progress monitoring tool), Corporate Climate Assessment Reports (company-specific analysis for ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel), the SteelWatch Explainer Series (educational content on steelmaking and climate), and Commentary articles (ongoing analysis and opinion). These publications work together to challenge the global steel industry to decarbonise and support civil society in holding the sector accountable.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SteelWatch Corporate Scorecard 2026 Annual public assessment that scores major global steelmakers on their transition readiness and decarbonisation progress, evaluating climate commitments and actions against Paris-aligned benchmarks.
• Steelmaker Transformation Tracker Online data tool that tracks individual steelmakers' decarbonisation progress and transformation pathways over time.
• Corporate Climate Assessment Reports Detailed analytical reports assessing specific steel companies' (ArcelorMittal, Nippon Steel) climate performance, targets, and transition strategies against 1.5°C pathways.
• SteelWatch Explainer Series Educational content series demystifying steel industry topics for civil society and general audiences, including climate impacts, hydrogen steelmaking, green iron trade, blast furnace myths, and auto sector steel requirements.
• Commentary Regular analysis and opinion pieces on steel sector decarbonisation trends, company announcements, and climate policy developments.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Fair Steel CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Coalition of civil society organizations including SteelWatch that coordinates advocacy efforts and conducts protests (e.g., ArcelorMittal AGM protest in Luxembourg, May 2025).
• Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Investor engagement group that co-filed shareholder proposals with SteelWatch urging Nippon Steel to strengthen climate strategy and disclosure.
• Corporate Action Japan (CAJ)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Japanese organization that co-filed shareholder proposals with ACCR and SteelWatch targeting Nippon Steel's climate plans.
• Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024One of Europe's largest asset managers that co-filed shareholder proposal on climate lobbying disclosure for Nippon Steel alongside ACCR and SteelWatch.
• Solutions for Our Climate (SFOC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Korean civil society organization that collaborates with SteelWatch on joint reports and campaigns, notably the 'Redline not Reline' commentary on OECD steel companies locking in coal-based production.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• TransitionZero: Data and analytics organization tracking industrial emissions, including steel sector decarbonization. Comparable data-product approach (industrial emissions tracking) with an emerging, more technical orientation.
• Industrial Deep Decarbonization Initiative: Public-private initiative focused on demand-side commitments for low-carbon industrial materials including steel. Overlapping focus on industrial decarbonization but operating more as a convening platform than an advocacy NGO.

Direct peers

• Global Energy Monitor: Develops open-source trackers for energy infrastructure globally. Highly comparable product model (e.g., Global Coal Plant Tracker, Global Steel Plant Tracker) and similar civil society positioning.
• Solutions for Our Climate (SFOC): Korean civil society organization focused on climate policy and industrial decarbonization. An active SteelWatch partner; directly comparable in mission, advocacy tactics, and target geography (Korean steel sector).
• InfluenceMap: Tracks corporate influence on climate policy and produces company-level lobbying assessments. Comparable methodology (corporate scorecards, civil society accountability) and similar target audience of investors and policymakers.
• Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL): International environmental law and advocacy organization working on climate, industry, and trade. Comparable advocacy model and overlapping interest in industrial decarbonization and corporate accountability.
• Climate Bonds Initiative: Promotes investment in projects and assets needed for a low-carbon economy, including heavy industry decarbonization. Comparable advocacy + standards-setting approach and similar investor-engagement focus.
• Mighty Earth: International campaign organization focused on industrial supply chains and climate. Similar advocacy-driven, campaign-led model targeting corporate climate behavior and supply chain decarbonization.
• Climate Action Tracker: Independent research consortium producing sectoral and country-level assessments of climate action. Highly comparable to SteelWatch as a research-and-advocacy NGO producing recurring assessments to drive accountability.

Broad incumbents

• CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project): Major global disclosure system for corporate environmental impact, used by thousands of companies and investors. Comparable data-product approach (corporate environmental assessments) but operates across all sectors rather than specializing in steel.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SteelWatch2030
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SteelWatch
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/steelwatch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SteelWatch