In 2025, Bekaert reduced Scope 1 and market-based Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 23% compared to 2019, while Scope 3 emissions from purchased goods and services decreased by 11%. These results show tangible progress against Bekaert’s science-based climate roadmap and confirm that emissions reduction is being translated into measurable action across operations and the value chain.

Climate change is one of the most pressing challenges facing industry today. For Bekaert, reducing CO₂ emissions is not limited to improving the efficiency of our own operations, but extends across our value chain, from raw materials and logistics to the solutions we develop for customers worldwide. This holistic approach reflects our ambition to protect the planet, one of the three pillars of Bekaert’s sustainability framework, and to actively contribute to a low-carbon and resource-efficient economy.

“Our climate strategy is built on the conviction that meaningful impact can only be achieved when we look beyond our own footprint and engage the full ecosystem we operate in,” says Ann‑Françoise Versele, Vice President Sustainability and Governmental Affairs at Bekaert. “That means combining science-based targets with concrete action, transparency and collaboration across the value chain.”

In 2025, Bekaert made tangible progress along this pathway, reducing Scope 1 and market-based Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions by -23 percent compared to 2019, fully in line with its roadmap toward the 2030 ambition. Scope 3 emissions from purchased goods and services were reduced by -11 percent compared to the same baseline year, demonstrating steady progress in an area that remains structurally challenging for manufacturing companies.

“Setting ambitious targets is essential, but what really matters is translating them into measurable progress year after year,” Ann‑Françoise Versele notes. “Our 2025 results confirm that our roadmap is delivering, even as we navigate external variables such as energy markets, raw material availability and geopolitical uncertainty.” 

For Bekaert, reducing emissions across the value chain starts with a clear understanding of where the largest impacts occur. Based on its emissions profile, more than 75 percent of upstream Scope 3 emissions are linked to wire rod, the company’s main raw material. As a result, increasing transparency and accelerating decarbonization in this part of the supply chain remains a strategic priority.

Since launching its first sustainability campaign with suppliers in 2021, Bekaert has steadily increased the quality and coverage of emissions data. By 2025, 66 percent of wire rod suppliers were providing direct and comprehensive emissions data, representing more than 70 percent of upstream Scope 3 emissions related to wire rod. This improved supplier data coverage is a critical step, but not the final goal. It gives Bekaert the visibility needed to engage suppliers, prioritize lower-carbon sourcing options and accelerate reductions in the part of the value chain where the impact is highest.  

“Data transparency is not the final goal, but is definitely a cornerstone of effective climate action,” explains Versele. “It allows us to focus our efforts where they have the greatest impact and to work with suppliers as true partners on decarbonization journeys that are realistic, scalable and economically viable.”

Beyond raw materials, logistics and transportation offer clear opportunities to reduce Scope 3 emissions through practical, near-term initiatives. In 2025, several projects across regions demonstrated how operational changes can deliver substantial results when supported by strong collaboration between procurement, logistics teams, customers and external partners.

• In China, procurement and logistics teams within the Rubber Reinforcement business unit successfully transitioned cargo transport from fuel-powered trucks to a combination of electric trucks, rail and waterway transport. This multimodal approach resulted in a CO₂e emissions reduction of more than -50 percent for the routes involved, while maintaining operational reliability.

• In India, Bekaert launched its first fleet of LNG-powered long-haul trucks through a partnership with a regional pioneer in LNG transportation. This initiative directly reduced CO₂e emissions by up to -30 percent and particulate matter emissions by -91 percent, improving both climate and air quality performance.

• European initiatives also contributed to progress. In Slovakia, Bekaert entities received the DHL Go Green certificate for their use of sustainable aviation fuel, which delivered a -24 percent CO₂e emissions reduction compared to conventional air transport in 2024.

“These examples show that decarbonization is not an abstract concept, but a series of operational choices that can be implemented today,” says Versele. “By working closely with logistics partners, we can reduce emissions while keeping supply chains resilient and efficient.”

Bekaert’s contribution to reducing CO₂ emissions does not stop at its own value chain. With a varied portfolio sustainable solutions, the impact is visible beyond the company’s own footprint. By enabling dematerialization, lower-carbon materials, longer product lifetime and improved performance, these solutions help customers reduce emissions across their own value chains and support Bekaert’s ambition to generate 65% of sales from sustainable solutions by 2030. 

“Our role is twofold,” Versele concludes. “We work relentlessly to reduce emissions in our own operations and value chain, while at the same time developing solutions that enable our customers to do the same. That is how we turn our sustainability strategy into real-world impact.”