A visit from a German government minister gave executives from Karlsruhe, Germany-based Cronimet Holding GmbH the chance to tout the sustainability of scrap recycling in European stainless steel production.
In mid-January, German Secretary of State for the Environment Andre Baumann visited the CRONIMET Ferroleg facility in Karlsruhe, accompanied by a state deputy and the managing director of environmental technology of the German state of Baden-Württemberg.
The visit was part of a tour by Baumann and German Environment Minister Franz Untersteller of 15 companies selected as exemplary in promoting the development of new technologies for the protection of natural resources. “We want to show how successfully many companies have internalized resource efficiency as part of their corporate philosophy,” remarked Untersteller before embarking on the visits.
Cronimet Ferroleg GmbH and its managing director Marijo Zeljko gave a presentation to Baumann covering the sustainable business areas of Cronimet and its subsidiaries and the firm’s activities and markets, including aircraft recycling of aircraft and the PLUS project, which stands for “pilot plant for laser-assisted sorting of special alloys.”
Cronimet says the presentation “served as an information base and led to a discussion [of] many different topics,” including tariffs introduced by the United States driving and the flow of stainless steel produced in Asia into the European market. “The main problem here is that Asian steels contain only a small percentage of recycled metals,” states Cronimet. “This is not the case with European steel products, because in Europe a high percentage of stainless steel is recycled and gets back into production.”
A lower proportion of recycled metal in production means increased CO2 emissions from Asian steelmaking, perhaps at a rate seven times higher than from steel made in Europe, according to Cronimet.
Cronimet says it discussed with the government officials ideas to bolster European steelmakers’ markets, including the introduction of a “seal of approval” for products made from a designated amount of recycled material.
The visitors also observed activity and processes in a Cronimet scrap yard, as well as in the firm’s laboratory.
The Cronimet Holding Group focuses on stainless steel scrap, ferroalloys and primary metals, supplying raw materials for stainless steel producers. The company was founded in 1980 and has more than 5,600 employees worldwide.