Sustainability article collection

Camilla Kaplin, Senior Manager – Environment, shares advice for buyers of stainless steel who need to understand how to compare the carbon footprint of different products and producers.

Companies and consumers are increasingly aware of sustainability, including the environmental footprint of the products and materials in their supply chain. The eyes of the world are on sustainability.

Outokumpu’s stainless steel is a superb material for sustainable solutions as it is 100% recyclable, efficient and long-lasting. However, sustainability it is not only about what we do, but also how we do it. Therefore, we have made climate change one of the key pillars in our sustainability strategy. This includes an ambitious target to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

A study from Yale University has found that 85 percent of stainless steel is recycled at the end of its life, demonstrating that it is a sustainable material that is reused and recycled to protect the world’s virgin resources.

Just like the Tornio River forms from the little streams up in the wilderness, the unique sustainability of the Tornio stainless steel mill is not a result of some unique, individual innovation.

For Outokumpu, sustainability is not just about making stainless steel that is 100% recyclable, efficient and long-lasting. We also recognize that we need to help protect the environment by proactively developing our production processes, energy and material efficiency, and solutions for the by-products from our operations.

Morten Larsen is the owner of Temoco, a furniture provider for the leading bars and restaurants in the Nordics. His clients include major hotel and restaurant chains and some of the most interesting and highly regarded bars in the world. With over 30 years in the industry, he has seen the industry change from decade to decade with different trends coming and going.

Håkan Rosén, founder of Stainless Steel Yachts Sweden(SSY), has always had a keen interest in life at sea. He started sailing at an early age and has owned a number of recreational boats. He heard about stainless steel, which is extremely resistant to corrosion.“It should be possible to build boats from this material,” he thought.

When faced with the challenge of delivering hundreds of tonnes of stainless steel façade material with a completely consistent finish, Outokumpu’s technicians might prefer to do it in a single batch. However, architectural fabrication companies need to order material in multiple batches to control their cash flow, and require the same quality and appearance from production batches spread many months apart.