​​Bekaert joins Utilities for Net Zero Alliance (UNEZA)​ to advance net-zero grid development

Bekaert is proud to announce its membership in the Utilities for Net Zero Alliance (UNEZA), a global coalition of energy and utility leaders allegiant to accelerating the transition to net-zero emissions. This milestone reflects Bekaert’s commitment to sustainability and its role in shaping the future of energy infrastructure.

The energy transition is one of the most pressing challenges of our time. Achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 requires unprecedented collaboration across industries, borders, and sectors. UNEZA, launched at COP28 by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENTA) and the UN Climate Change High-Level Champions, provides a platform for that collaboration, enabling members to share best practices, align on standards, and accelerate innovation. It brings together 52 leading utilities, technology providers, and developers, collectively serving over 300 million customers worldwide. The alliance is designed to foster collaboration, innovation, and investment in clean energy solutions

UNEZA’s mission is clear: to remove barriers to decarbonization and scale up renewable energy deployment. Members commit to:

• Modernizing power grids
• Investing in clean energy infrastructure
• Strengthening supply chains for critical technologies
• Promoting policy innovation and long-term planning

Together, UNEZA members pledge to invest $116 billion annually in clean energy, nearly half of which is dedicated to transmission and distribution networks.

For Bekaert, this membership is more than symbolic, it’s strategic. It aligns with the company’s purpose of Establishing the new possible and sustainability roadmap “Creating a better tomorrow” to develop sustainable solutions to accelerate transformation across industries.

“Joining UNEZA is a powerful step forward in our sustainability journey. It’s not just about what we do within our own operations, it’s about how we contribute to systemic change. Through UNEZA, we’re part of a global movement to accelerate the energy transition, and we’re bringing our expertise, technologies, and solutions to help make net-zero a reality.” – Ann-Françoise Versele, VP Sustainability and Governmental Affairs.

Bekaert is committed to accelerating the transition to a net-zero world by developing and commercializing sustainable solutions. The inhera® label reinforces this mission by identifying and promoting innovative Bekaert solutions that help industries achieve their sustainability goals faster.

Through inhera® Bekaert curates a portfolio of solutions that drives cleaner, more sustainable progress across key end-markets. Each solution aligns with leading frameworks — such as EU Taxonomy Regulation—to ensure strong environmental compliance, transparency and credibility.  

Supporting the evolution of the net-zero energy grid, Bekaert offers high tensile steel cores for overhead power lines and Bezinox® non-magnetic armouring wire for submarine power cables. 

Creating a sustainable energy grid for the North American market requires the uptake of new technologies. Bekaert's giga-strength advanced steel cores provide the market with a viable option when compared to existing conductors.

Read our white paper: Connecting Renewable Energy with Giga-Strength Steel