Outokumpu finds rail market for recycled-content stainless steel

Finland based stainless steel producer Outokumpu Oyj has agreed to supply its 98 percent recycled-content Circle Green-branded stainless to Germany-based multinational Siemens AG for use in making medium-voltage switchgear for the railroad sector.

“The rising energy demand and future of green solutions are dependent on sustainable stainless steel,” says Niklas Wass, president of the Stainless Europe business line for Outokumpu. “Our spearhead climate solution, Circle Green, enables green energy transition and brings a true opportunity to transform various industries. We are proud to join forces with Siemens, who shows the way toward a low-emission future.”

Outokumpu says Circle Green production is the first of its kind globally, adding, "No other stainless steel manufacturer has been able to produce stainless steel with such low emission levels when taking into account all the climate emissions from raw material extraction throughout the whole production chain.”

“As industries around the world look to reduce carbon emissions to reach ambitious net-zero targets, sustainable steel has a huge potential," adds Stephan May, CEO of Electrification and Automation at Siemens Smart Infrastructure. "In Outokumpu, we have found an organization dedicated to accelerating the industrial decarbonization of stainless-steel production.”

To produce Circle Green and to reach up to a 93 percent lower carbon footprint, Outokumpu says it uses 100 percent low-carbon electricity, low-carbon raw materials such as recycled stainless steel and a “reinvented production processes.”

“If all the stainless steel in the world was produced with the same methods as used for Circle Green production, it would reduce global carbon emissions from the entire stainless steel value chain by 364 million tons per year," the company says.

In 2023, Outokumpu also has forged Circle Green supply agreements with Germany-based cookware maker Fissler and with automotive exhaust systems manufacturer Purem by Eberspächer, also based in Germany.