Outokumpu, a global supplier of sustainable stainless steel, has published new Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). These independently verified reports provide detailed environmental data on the company's stainless steel products and help customers reduce their CO₂ emissions along the supply chain.
With stainless steel that produces up to 75% less CO₂ emissions than the global industry average, Outokumpu is making an important contribution to the green transformation. In 2023, the company's products enabled global CO₂ savings of 12 million tonnes compared to the industry average.
The steel industry accounts for around 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions and yet remains indispensable for the energy and construction sectors as well as many other industries. In order to achieve the climate targets, the industry must reduce its emissions by 90% by 2050 compared to 2022. CO₂-reduced stainless steel plays a central role in this by promoting sustainability across the entire value chain and contributing to the decarbonisation of the industry.
‘Our goal is to be the first choice for sustainable stainless steel,’ explains Heidi Peltonen, Vice President Sustainability at Outokumpu. ‘With the independent environmental product declarations, we are improving data transparency in the stainless steel value chain. This makes it easier for our customers - from the construction, energy and shipping industries, for example - to select materials that contribute to reducing their carbon emissions.’
The EPDs are an important tool for presenting the environmental impact of Outokumpu's products in a transparent and comprehensible way.
Comprehensive life cycle analysis as a basis
The new environmental product declarations are based on a detailed life cycle analysis and cover three main groups of stainless steel products: austenitic, ferritic and duplex steels. Separate EPDs for cold-rolled and hot-rolled stainless steel have been created for each of these product groups, making a total of six documents available.
These EPDs provide comprehensive information on a wide range of environmental indicators, including carbon emissions, resource utilisation, waste and discharge parameters. They take into account the entire life cycle of stainless steel - from raw material extraction through production and processing to recycling potential after the utilisation phase.
‘The global demand for materials with a low carbon footprint will continue to grow,’ predicts Peltonen. ‘With our new environmental product declarations, we are providing more detailed data than ever before. Even if the new EPDs are not directly comparable with previous ones, the carbon footprint of our stainless steel remains one of the lowest in the industry.’
Sustainability proven by figures
In addition to environmental product declarations, Outokumpu also offers specific carbon footprint calculations for its products. This verified and transparent data helps customers to better understand and optimise their own supply chain emissions.
CO₂ emissions from Outokumpu stainless steel in 2023 were 1.52 kg CO₂e per kilogram of stainless steel, compared to a global average of 7 kg CO₂e per kilogram of stainless steel. Outokumpu thus continues to set standards for sustainable production and supports the green transformation in the steel industry.
