Outokumpu partners with Klöckner & Co to supply lower emissions stainless steel

Finnish stainless steelmaker Outokumpu has partnered with German steel distributor Klöckner & Co. to supply its emission-minimized stainless steel and gain industry market share, the companies said Dec. 7.

The first coil made of emission-minimized stainless steel, part of Outokumpu’s Circle Green product line launched in June 2022 to decarbonize the industry sector, had already been delivered, with larger quantities to start from 2023, they said.

According to Outokumpu, the Circle Green product is the first of its kind globally, with no other stainless steel manufacturer producing stainless steel with as low emission levels, taking into account the climate emissions from raw material extraction through the whole production chain.

“Partnering around sustainability offers the possibility to cut emissions and help companies to reach their climate targets,” Outokumpu CEO Heikki Malinen said, adding that both companies had strong aspirations to develop a sustainable metal sector.

“After securing significant quantities of CO2-reduced steel at an early stage, we are now also committed to increasing the availability of other CO2-reduced metals for our customers – Outokumpu’s first CO2-minimized stainless steel coil is another important step for our company in the right direction,” Klöckner & Co. CEO Guido Kerkhoff said.

“With this we enable even more of our customers to build sustainable value chains already today and strengthen our position as a pioneer of sustainability,” he added.

Klöckner had classified Outokumpu’s Circle Green products in its “Prime” category, allowing the distributor to expand its portfolio of CO2-reduced materials under its new umbrella brand Nexigen, it said.

In November, Outokumpu said it aimed to improve its energy efficiency by 8% across the group in 2023 and 2024, compared with the January-September 2022 level, which would save around 600 GWh of energy. It also said it would prioritize related investments amid the energy crisis in Europe.

— Jacqueline Holman