Green Steel can be manufactured through the use of optimized raw materials, implementation of energy efficiency practices, and by employing low-CO2 energy sources in the electric steel production method.

Swiss Steel Group, a market leader in sustainably produced steel and one of the key companies in Europe promoting the circular economy, is distinguished by its 100% electric arc furnaces and the production method based on steel scrap. Thanks to the use of energy from renewable sources and the highest operating standards, our total emissions are up to 83% lower than the industry average, offering our customers a significantly environmentally friendly option and added value.

Green Steel is our initiative for ecologically produced low-carbon steel. It's crucial that all measures are coordinated and transparent. 'Green Steel' is not just a tool for gradually and systematically reducing the emissions of the entire group, but also aims to support and encourage our customers and partners to contribute more to mitigating climate change.

Put simply, there are two common methods of steel production. Steel is either produced using iron ore and coke in a blast furnace or in an electric arc furnace from steel scrap. At Swiss Steel Group, we only use electric arc furnace technology.

The processing of 2 million tons of steel scrap per year makes us a relevant recycling company in our production countries. We source the most important materials for our production locally and avoid transportation halfway around the world, thus significantly reducing the CO2 emissions of our input materials.

Our services

From the comprehensive portfolio for Green Steel, our customers can select the most suitable product for their path to a sustainable future. We provide individual solutions for a wide range of customers, supporting many industries on their path to decarbonization. 

Nothing goes to waste

While often underestimated, no material is as sustainable as steel. Even after repeated use, steel does not lose its high quality. Swiss Steel Group produces steel solely from steel scrap, making us a relevant recycling player in the countries where we produce our steel. Taking sustainability seriously, we source our scrap as locally as possible, favour rail transport and pay close attention to precise scrap sorting. The more our steel scrap is sorted, the more precise we can use each single chip of scrap and the fewer primary alloys we need. It is this attention to detail that results in a smaller environmental footprint.

This very attention to detail leads to a reduced ecological footprint. As key drivers of the circular economy, at Swiss Steel Group, we make sure to recycle by-products wherever possible:

• At our site in Emmenbrücke, we use our 20 GWh of surplus heat generated annually from the rolling mill to heat buildings and provide excess energy to the city’s heating network. Overall, our surplus heat sustains aprox 1,000 households.
• In Switzerland and France, the rock-like nature of electric furnace slag is used as a high-quality material in road construction and is the ideal substitute for concrete granules and ballast. Mill scale is reused in the cement industry.
• The waste gases generated by the electric arc process are cleaned. This produces filter dust which still contains valuable materials, such as zinc. The filter dust is processed in specialized recycling companies and the valuable materials it contains are recovered. Processed zinc can then be used in electroplating operations, for example, or as an alloying metal, for example in brass alloys.

According to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Standard, we categorize CO2 emissions into three scopes. Scope 1 emissions are direct emissions from combustion processes originating from sources owned or controlled by Swiss Steel Group. Scope 2 emissions are indirect emissions from the generation of purchased energy. CO2 emissions occurring within our value chain (excluding Scope 2 emissions) are classified as Scope 3 emissions.

Some of the commonly used higher alloyed steel grades can already be produced in Swiss Steel Group's facilities with little or no addition of primary ferroalloys. The Ugi'Ring project, which is part of our circular economy strategy, will enable us to further increase the recycled content in our steel through the vertical integration of alloy recycling from waste (e.g., batteries, catalysts) and by-products into our steel production.

Another cornerstone for the future reduction of our Scope 3.1 emissions is the involvement of our suppliers. We were the first European steel producer and the world's first electric arc furnace steel producer to participate in the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) Supply Chain Program in 2023. This not only allows us to incorporate the environmental performance of our suppliers into the purchasing decision process but also improves the accuracy of our Scope 3.1 CO2 reporting by capturing primary emission data.