BuildSteel is tracking the sustainability initiatives led by various members of the steel framing industry.
“SFIA member companies are taking steps to reduce their carbon footprints through new low-carbon process technologies,” says Larry Williams, Steel Framing Industry Association (SFIA) executive director. “We’re excited about the future of cold-formed steel (CFS) and can’t get there fast enough.”
Here is some recent steel sustainability news.
Biden Procurement Policy Favors Low-Carbon Steel
The “Buy Clean” initiative will support domestic steel producers.
On September 15, 2022, representatives of the Biden-Harris Administration announced new actions under its Federal Buy Clean Initiative 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 “prioritize the federal government’s purchase of steel concrete, asphalt and flat glass that have lower levels of emissions.”
The Toledo steel plant of SFIA member Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc. 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.
“The Cleveland-Cliffs Direct Reduction steel plant represents the future of U.S. clean manufacturing, producing a lower-carbon intermediary feedstock product that is integrated into steel plate used in a wide variety of products purchased by the Federal Government,” the White House statement about the event said.
A report in Recycling Today earlier this year 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 members Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc., Nucor Corp. and 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 release here.
Nucor Campaign Highlights Steel Sustainability
The “Minds of Steel” marketing campaign from Nucor Corporation, a Charlotte, N.C., steel products manufacturer and 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.
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Structural engineer Ahmad Rahimian, executive vice president and USA director of building structures at WSP USA, says “the strength of steel is fantastic because in small, compact sections, you can’t get anything better from the standpoint of the amount of load that it could support.”
The article about Rahimian, Strength And Sustainability of Steel, also says that “engineers are relying on steel more than ever to bring that sought-after combination of strength, flair, and sustainability to their projects.”
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 “biggest benefit.”
“It’s 100% recyclable,” says Shah in the article Inspiring Space and the People Within It. “You get big wins with using steel for that reason.”
Additional Nucor “Minds of Steel” articles profile structural engineer Carol Drucker, architect Jason Smith, architecture professor Terri Meyer Boake, engineer Patrick Hassett and others.
Steel Dynamics Acquires Mexican Recycling Company
Steel Dynamics Inc. , one of the largest steel producers and metals recyclers in the United States and 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.
“We 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,” 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 company’s 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 release here.
CFS Meets All Sustainability Requirements
Cold-formed steel (CFS) meets the highest sustainability requirements set in all major green building standards and rating programs, including the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) from the U.S. Green Building Council, the National Green Building Standard (ICC-700) for residential buildings, ASHRAE Standard 189.1 for commercial construction and the International Green Construction Code (IgCC).
The American Iron and Steel Institute reports:
- Steel framing contains a minimum of 25% recycled steel and is continually and completely “remade without any loss of quality”
- Most other construction products can only be down-cycled into lower-quality products
- Steel framing minimizes construction site waste
Additional Resources
- Update #2 | Steel Framing Industry Sustainability Initiatives
- Update #1 | Steel Framing Industry Sustainability Initiatives
- Steel Industry Pushes Toward Net-Zero Energy Target