Increasing demand for voestalpine\'s environmentally-friendly premium steel option

04.04.2024

With greentec steel, voestalpine has a clear plan for decarbonizing steel production. voestalpine is not alone in its mission to reduce greenhouse gas emissions: more and more customers also want to reduce their carbon footprint by using high-quality CO2-reduced premium steel. The steel and technology Group is already providing 35 companies from various industries with superior steel products in the greentec steel Edition. Designer furniture, wind turbines, and cranes are just a few examples of products that can be manufactured more sustainably through an optimized production process. voestalpine itself recently used the green steel to build a new belt conveyor, which will also supply the planned electric arc furnace (EAF) in Linz with raw materials in the future.

Since the first CO2-reduced steel was delivered about two years ago, the list of customers purchasing more environmentally friendly coils from the Steel Division in Linz has been growing steadily. In the beginning, the highest demand came from the consumer goods and manufacturing industries. But since the steel and technology Group can offer all flat steel products in the usual quality with a CO2-reduced footprint, orders are now coming from all customer segments, including areas such as wind energy and building technology. 

"With our CO2-reduced premium steel, we are clearly meeting our customers’ growing need for innovative product solutions that directly and significantly improve their carbon footprint, while offering proven quality and outstanding material and processing properties."

Herbert Eibensteiner, CEO of voestalpine AG, about the continuously growing market for more environmentally friendly steel

For customers, sustainability is also clearly a trend

The well-known Swiss designer furniture manufacturer USM U. Schärer Söhne AG, for example, relies on the greentec steel Edition from voestalpine. The company has committed itself to sustainable production methods and uses the CO2-reduced premium steel for its internationally successful modular furniture. Flender, the global expert in drive technology, is also improving its own carbon footprint with green coils from Linz, for example by using them in the generators of its wind energy division. Griesser, a company known throughout Europe for its high-quality sun protection systems, uses voestalpine steel in the greentec steel Edition to produce their slat blinds. In addition, the renowned crane manufacturer Tadano Europe uses CO2-reduced heavy plate in their latest generation of cranes.

On its path to green steel production, of course voestalpine itself also relies on the material of the greentec steel Edition that is produced inhouse. CO2-reduced steel was also used in the current construction of a belt conveyor, which will supply the new EAF in Linz with raw materials from 2027, among other things.

Around 10% CO2 reduction in production

Since the beginning of this year, greentec steel Edition products have also been scoring an even lower CO2 footprint. 

"By consistently optimizing the manufacturing process, we can already save around 10% of direct emissions in the CO2-reduced version of our steel." 

Hubert Zajicek, Member of the Management Board of voestalpine AG and Head of the Steel Division

On the one hand, this is achieved through an innovative mix of raw materials in which, for example, coke is partially replaced by reducing agents that contain hydrogen. On the other hand, the proportion of green electricity in the energy supply is increasing. Over 70% of the electricity required for steel production in Linz is generated by voestalpine itself by using production gases. The rest of the energy portfolio is gradually being developed towards renewable sources. The specific emission savings, which will be successively increased with further measures, are transparently verified and documented by the independent body LRQA.

With greentec steel to green steel production

With greentec steel, voestalpine has a clear plan for decarbonizing the production of steel. An important first step is the gradual switch from the blast furnace to an electric steel route that will begin in 2027. With the commissioning of one EAF in Linz and one in Donawitz at the beginning of 2027, CO2 emissions can be significantly reduced by up to 30%. This will be almost 5% of Austria’s annual CO2 emissions. In the long term, the steel and technology Group is focusing on carbon-neutral steel production based on green hydrogen and is already conducting intensive research on highly promising break-through technologies.

For more information about voestalpine, please visit: www.voestalpine.com