Harsco Inks 10-Year Deal to Drive India's Green Steel Revolution

MUMBAI, India – February 18, 2026 – In a landmark move signaling a new era for sustainable manufacturing in India, Harsco Environmental has secured a 10-year contract with Lloyds Metals and Energy Limited (LMEL), one of the nation's major steel and mining firms. The agreement will see the Enviri division design, build, and operate a state-of-the-art metal recovery and slag processing facility at LMEL's integrated steel plant in Maharashtra, with operations set to begin in 2027.

The long-term partnership is a significant bet on the future of India's burgeoning steel industry, which is undergoing a profound transformation driven by massive growth and an urgent push for environmental responsibility. The project is also expected to generate 54 new jobs in the region, blending industrial advancement with local economic development.

A Pact for Sustainable Steelmaking

Under the terms of the decade-long agreement, Harsco Environmental will provide a comprehensive, end-to-end solution for managing LMEL's steelmaking by-products. This involves the full lifecycle of the project, from initial design and construction to commissioning, ongoing operation, and maintenance. The core of the collaboration lies in implementing advanced technologies to recover valuable metals from slag—a byproduct of the steelmaking process—and process the remaining material for reuse, effectively turning waste into a resource.

This partnership underscores a shared vision for a more circular and sustainable industrial model. "This new agreement with LMEL underscores our shared commitment to sustainability while meeting the needs of a growing industry,” said Harsco Environmental President Christophe Reitemeier. “As we continue to expand our footprint in India, we’re helping our customers meet their environmental goals.”

For LMEL, which operates India's largest iron ore mine and is aggressively expanding its steel production capabilities, the deal is a strategic step toward embedding sustainability into its core operations. "By leveraging Harsco Environmental's expertise in metal recovery and slag processing, we aim to enhance resource efficiency and reduce environmental impact," stated Madhur Gupta, Executive Director at LMEL. "This collaboration aligns with our ambition to establish our integrated steel plant, centered around sustainability and innovative practices within the sector."

Betting on India's Surging Steel Sector

The timing of this agreement is critical, placing Harsco Environmental at the heart of one of the world's most dynamic industrial markets. India stands as the second-largest producer of crude steel globally, and its demand is forecasted to soar. The World Steel Association projects a robust 9% growth in Indian steel demand for both 2025 and 2026, while domestic rating agencies anticipate an incremental demand of 11-12 million tonnes per year. This expansion is fueled by the government's massive push in infrastructure, construction, and manufacturing.

With national ambitions to expand production capacity to 300 million tonnes by 2030 and 500 million tonnes by 2047, the Indian steel sector represents a vast and sustained opportunity. For a global industrial services leader like Enviri, a 10-year contract with a rapidly expanding player like LMEL is more than just a single deal; it is a strategic anchor in a key growth market, promising a stable, long-term revenue stream and solidifying its market leadership in the region.

The National Push for 'Green Steel'

This partnership is not happening in a vacuum. It is a direct response to a powerful national and global movement toward "green steel." As one of the country's most carbon-intensive sectors, the Indian steel industry is under immense pressure to decarbonize, a push intensified by international policies like the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which will levy a carbon price on imports from 2026.

In response, India's Ministry of Steel has become a proactive force for change. The government unveiled a comprehensive "Green Steel Roadmap" in 2024, outlining pathways for cleaner production through green hydrogen, carbon capture technologies, and increased scrap utilization. More formally, a national Green Steel Taxonomy is set to take effect in the 2026-2027 fiscal year, creating a star-rating system for steel based on CO2 emissions. This will create clear market incentives for producers like LMEL to adopt cleaner technologies.

The Harsco-LMEL collaboration directly supports these goals. India's Steel Scrap Recycling Policy of 2019 aims to create a circular economy, and the benefits are stark: every tonne of scrap steel used saves 1.1 tonnes of iron ore, 630 kilograms of coking coal, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 58%. By maximizing metal recovery from slag, the new facility in Maharashtra will contribute directly to these resource conservation efforts.

From Industrial Waste to Valuable Resource

The technological heart of this agreement lies in slag valorization—the process of transforming industrial by-products into commercially viable materials. Instead of being sent to a landfill, the slag from LMEL's plant will be meticulously processed. First, powerful magnetic separators will extract residual ferrous metals, which can be reintroduced into the steelmaking process, saving both raw materials and energy.

The remaining non-metallic slag is a valuable resource in itself. Once processed, it can be used as a durable aggregate in road construction and concrete, or as a key ingredient in cement manufacturing, where it reduces the carbon footprint of the final product. This practice not only eliminates waste but also creates a new revenue stream and reduces the environmental impact of both the steel and construction industries. This application of circular economy principles, combined with the creation of 54 skilled jobs, showcases how modern industrial partnerships can drive economic growth, foster technological advancement, and deliver tangible environmental benefits for the community and the country at large.