BuildSteel is tracking the sustainability initiatives led by various members of the steel framing industry.
โSFIA member companies are taking steps to reduce their carbon footprints through new low-carbon process technologies,โ says Larry Williams, Steel Framing Industry Association (SFIA) executive director. โWeโre excited about the future of cold-formed steel (CFS) and canโt get there fast enough.โ
Here is some recent steel sustainability news.
Biden Procurement Policy Favors Low-Carbon Steel
On September 15, 2022, representatives of the Biden-Harris Administration announced new actions under itsย Federal Buy Clean Initiativeย in Toledo, Ohio, to spur the development of low-carbon construction materials made in America, which includes low-carbon steel.
A White House statement summarizing the announced initiatives said the administration will โprioritize the federal governmentโs purchase of steelย concrete, asphalt and flat glass that have lower levels of emissions.โ
The Toledo steel plant of SFIA memberย Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc.ย served as the backdrop for visiting Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan and Deputy National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi, who together announced the actions.
โThe Cleveland-Cliffs Direct Reduction steel plant represents the future of U.S. clean manufacturing, producing aย lower-carbon intermediary feedstock productย that is integrated into steel plate used in a wide variety of products purchased by the Federal Government,โ the White House statement about the event said.
A report inย Recycling Todayย earlier this yearย noted that support from the federal government for the U.S. steel sector amounts to some $850 billion of the $1.2 trillion potential in the 2021 infrastructure bill.
American steel producers, including SFIA membersย Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc.,ย Nucor Corp.ย andย Steel Dynamics, Inc., have pointed to what they call a consistently lower carbon footprint from their operations compared with the steel production found in other countries.
Read the complete White House releaseย here.
Nucor Campaign Highlights Steel Sustainability
The โMinds of Steelโ marketing campaign from Nucor Corporation, a Charlotte, N.C., steel products manufacturer andย SFIA member, features profiles of engineers, architects and others with great ideas for steel in building design. The featured professionals cite different benefits of using steel, and some zero in on its sustainability advantages.
Structural engineer Ahmad Rahimian, executive vice president and USA director of building structures at WSP USA, says โthe strength of steel is fantastic because in small, compact sections, you canโt get anything better from the standpoint of the amount of load that it could support.โ
The article about Rahimian,ย Strength And Sustainability of Steel, also says that โengineers are relying on steel more than ever to bring that sought-after combination of strength, flair, and sustainability to their projects.โ
Similarly, Jayshree Shah, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, considers steel an innovative choice for many projects, but says the recyclability of steel is its โbiggest benefit.โ
โItโs 100% recyclable,โ says Shah in the articleย Inspiring Space and the People Within It. โYou get big wins with using steel for that reason.โ
Additional Nucor โMinds of Steelโ articles profile structural engineerย Carol Drucker, architectย Jason Smith, architecture professorย Terri Meyer Boake, engineerย Patrick Hassettย and others.
Steel Dynamics Acquires Mexican Recycling Company
Steel Dynamics Inc. , one of the largest steel producers and metals recyclers in the United States andย an SFIA member, announced in early October 2022 the completion of its acquisition of ROCA ACERO, S.A. de C.V., as part of its North American raw material procurement strategy. The transaction was funded with available cash.
ROCA, headquartered in Monterrey, Mexico, operates a ferrous and nonferrous scrap metals recycling business comprised of five scrap processing facilities strategically positioned near high-volume industrial scrap sources located throughout Central and Northern Mexico.
โWe believe our Mexican metals recycling facilities will provide a meaningful advantage to our electric-arc-furnace steel operations and planned aluminum flat rolled products operations, while also providing a high-quality, customer-centric option for our customers in Mexico and the United States,โ said Mark D. Millett, SDI chairman, president and chief executive officer.
Roca currently ships approximately 575,000 gross tons of scrap annually and has an estimated annual processing capability of approximately 850,000 gross tons. When combined with the companyโs existing Mexican metals recycling business, the total estimated annual ferrous and nonferrous scrap processing capability within Mexico will be over 2.5 million gross tons.
Read the complete SDI news releaseย here.
Cited from BUILDSTEEL