Shared responsibility for carbon emission reduction in worldwide “steel- electric vehicle” trade within a sustainable industrial chain perspective

Electric vehicles (EVs) is an important industry to promote global sustainability, but it consumes a lot of steel which produce more carbon dioxide during the production. To clarify the shared responsibility of carbon reduction related to EVs in the countries, it is necessary to assess the material flows of steel associated to the industry chain. This study constructed a multi-layer trade network model of “steel-electric vehicle” industry chain and identified key trade carbon transfer paths. The results firstly show the worldwide trade volume and the number of involved countries increased enormously from 2017 to 2021. Secondly, the non-renewable energies (coal) were diverted more from upstream countries. Finally, the trade patterns mostly flow from upstream (Brazil, Australia) to midstream steel producers (China, Germany), and then to downstream EVs manufacturers (USA), from which trade flows go back to middle and upstream countries. Instead, trade embodied carbon flows mainly into downstream developed countries. It reflects the huge imbalance among production process of different stages, energy consumed structure and trade carbon emissions in the worldwide “steel-electric vehicle” industry chain. Based on the results, this study proposes policy implications for promoting regional industrial ecological sustainability from the perspectives of industry chain, trading partners and countries.