Technology giant Google has signed a supply agreement with Swedish clean-tech firm Stegra to purchase Environmental Attribute Certificates (EACs) linked to near-zero-emission steel produced using green hydrogen and renewable power in Boden, Sweden.
Under the agreement, Google will acquire EACs covering up to 91,000 tonnes of green hydrogen-made steel in the first year alone, with plans to expand contract volumes over time.
The deal utilizes a “book and claim” model, which decouples the environmental attributes of green steel from the physical metal. This framework allows Google to address steel-related emissions across its global infrastructure—including data center construction—even when physical supply chains or geographical distance make direct transport impractical. To prevent double counting, buyers of the physical steel will be required to forego making environmental claims.
Accelerating the Green Hydrogen Steel Transition
“Decarbonizing the most challenging sectors requires every tool in our toolbox,” said Adam Elman, Director of Sustainability for Google in EMEA. “Having proven this model with clean electricity and expanded it to areas like sustainable aviation fuel, we see green steel EACs as another promising lever to address industrial emissions and scale the clean technologies of the future.”
Stegra’s Boden facility relies on green hydrogen produced via renewable electricity to replace fossil fuels in the steelmaking process. The certificates purchased by Google specifically apply to non-prime steel generated during the plant’s initial production ramp-up.
Financial Support for Early-Stage Operations
Beyond reducing Google’s scope 3 carbon footprint, the certificate purchase provides guaranteed early-stage cash flow to support Stegra as it scales up commercial production.
“There are some players globally that can help move markets towards decarbonized products in an impactful way. Google is naturally one such player,” said Henrik Henriksson, CEO of Stegra. “We are grateful that the team at Google chose to work with Stegra and support our first years of operations in this way.”
The book-and-claim mechanism is increasingly viewed as a vital financial tool to accelerate off-take agreements, lower market barriers for clean tech startups, and drive investment into green hydrogen infrastructure across Europe.