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Decarbonisation in crisis: Conditions and trends in the (ecological) transformation of the German automotive and steel industry

Author

Listed:
  • Simon, Jenny
  • Kalt, Tobias
  • Wissen, Markus

Abstract

European key industries such as the automotive and steel sector have been subject to intense transformation pressure for some time. Intensified international competition and more active industrial policy intervention by national governments and the European Commission are driving process and product innovations with far-reaching consequences, among them significant implications for employment conditions. Alongside digitalisation, decarbonisation constitutes a central development trend. In the automotive industry, this is manifesting primarily as a transition to electric mobility, while parts of steel production are in the process of switching from the emission-intensive blast furnace route to direct reduction of iron ore, ideally using green hydrogen. Both developments are contested and have recently been superimposed by militarisation and a fossil rollback. This working paper analyses the conditions and trends of decarbonisation processes in both industries. It identifies workplace conflicts, workers' subjectivities, and the impact of overarching social and international developments on industrial decarbonisation as an important research desideratum.

Suggested Citation

  • Simon, Jenny & Kalt, Tobias & Wissen, Markus, 2026. "Decarbonisation in crisis: Conditions and trends in the (ecological) transformation of the German automotive and steel industry," IPE Working Papers 271/2026, Berlin School of Economics and Law, Institute for International Political Economy (IPE).
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:ipewps:341636
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • J5 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining
    • L5 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy
    • P1 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Capitalist Economies

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