Outokumpu has reinforced its drive for sustainability by becoming the world’s first stainless steel manufacturer to publish environmental product declarations (EPDs) covering its portfolio of stainless steel grades. These EPDs are independently verified by the Institut Bauen und Umwelt (IBU), a German association that is specialized in validating EPDs and tracking sustainability performance for construction materials. The declarations cover four product groups: cold-rolled stainless steel, hot rolled stainless steel, long products, and rebar.
The EPDs describe the main environmental effects – including carbon footprint – and energy needs of stainless steel grades throughout their supply chain. With the EDPs, Outokumpu’s customers can now calculate the sustainability performance of the stainless steel they are using over their own product’s life cycle. The use of EPDs is also rewarded in certain green building schemes in the construction industry.
With the choice of the right steel grade, customers benefit from increased efficiency and profitability as well as maximizing the durability of an application and lowering its life cycle costs.
