SUNSHINE supplies innovative digital solutions to support the steel sector to achieve environmental targets and to achieve economical benefits which significantly support competitiveness. Currently and in the upcoming years the European steel industry is in a quite existential dilemma between huge environmental demands and economical demands since the transition to decarbonised process routes brings with it enormous requirements. The steel producers are forced to shoulder huge investments and simultaneously they are under heavy competition from producers outside the EU with less ambitious decarbonisation targets. The economic impacts of SUNSHINE proven above will help in withstanding the global competition, saving costs, emissions and energy demand.

It must be mentioned that the steel industry is a major part of the supply chains of the overall European economy. Its survival is also crucial for the overall European economy, both from a technical point of view, i.e. to preserve effectiveness and innovation within the highly integrated supply chains, and from a political point of view, i.e. to preserve the resilience of the European economy with relation to the vital commodity steel. The transformation of the steel industry into a modern and sustainable industry is consequently of major benefit also for the European society, both with respect to environment/climate change mitigation and to economy. This contributes to save the society from excessive climate change impacts such as high temperatures, fresh water availability and sea level rise (to only name some of the more important impacts already pointed out by the European Commission). 

Also the EU targets with relation to circular economy which are supported by the project can be rated as society benefits. From consumer perspective the project enables them to buy European products made from “green steel” and to also economically express their appraisal of climate conform behaving European steel producers. Concluding, the project significantly helps to preserve the steel industry in Europe and to transform it into a green and digital part of the European economy and thus provides major societal benefits.