SSAB and Firth Steels Collaborate to Advance Eco-Friendly Steel Production

SSAB and Firth Steels have established a durable partnership to acquire steel produced with virtually zero fossil carbon emissions. This collaboration aims to assist Firth Steels in advancing sustainability goals and minimizing the CO2 footprint of its products.

Firth Steels, a prominent UK manufacturer of steel profile products for wall and roof systems, has a longstanding partnership with SSAB, which is now expanding to incorporate SSAB’s fossil-free products.

As part of this expanded collaboration, SSAB Zero™, the world’s first commercial steel produced with nearly zero fossil carbon emissions, will be immediately delivered. SSAB Zero™ is crafted from recycled steel using fossil-free electricity and biogas. This steel will be essential in Firth Steels' latest product series, Protex Voyage®, designed to provide a low embodied carbon solution for building envelopes.

"We are pleased to collaborate with SSAB on this significant initiative aimed at reducing carbon emissions throughout our steel manufacturing process. As a UK-based producer of steel profiles, Scope 3 emissions represent a substantial part of our carbon footprint. Through strategic collaborations with leading mills worldwide, we aim to substantially decrease these emissions, fostering a sustainable future for our planet starting from the manufacturing stage, rather than relying solely on offsetting measures," commented James Firth, Managing Director of Firth Steels Limited.

"We are pleased to incorporate fossil-free steel into our partnership with Firth Steels, complementing our existing use of bio-based GreenCoat® color-coated steel in their products. By reducing our own carbon footprint, we contribute to lowering indirect emissions associated with the materials our customers utilize — a mutually beneficial outcome," remarked Dave Williams, Managing Director of SSAB Swedish Steel Ltd.

Conventional steel production is a major contributor to global CO2 emissions, arising from both virgin and recycled steel manufacturing processes. SSAB aims to revolutionize steel production methods to reduce emissions and establish a fossil-free value chain with its customers and partners, regardless of whether the raw material is scrap or iron ore.

To achieve this goal, SSAB has introduced two innovative steels that significantly reduce fossil carbon emissions: SSAB Zero™ and SSAB Fossil-free™ steel. SSAB Fossil-free™ steel is produced using the revolutionary HYBRIT® technology, developed in collaboration with LKAB and Vattenfall. This technology replaces coal traditionally used to extract oxygen from iron ore with hydrogen generated from fossil-free electricity, resulting in water rather than CO2 emissions. SSAB Fossil-free™ steel is currently being piloted with selected partners, with plans to scale up production volumes in the coming years.

In addition to reducing indirect Scope 3 emissions, Firth Steels has implemented several sustainable initiatives under their 'For Good' campaign to decrease emissions from their own operations, including energy consumption (Scope 1 and 2). The company operates a battery storage facility and solar arrays on-site, enabling off-grid storage and production if required. Firth Steels is certified by Planet Mark, an independent sustainability certification that assesses carbon and social data.