05-12-2023

Outokumpu and Alfa Laval to cut carbon emissions with towards-zero stainless steel

Outokumpu, the global leader in sustainable stainless steel, and Alfa Laval, the leading global provider of first-rate products in the areas of heat transfer, separation, and fluid handling, have signed a contract on the deliveries of the world’s first towards-zero stainless steel, Outokumpu Circle Green®. Alfa Laval will move to Circle Green stainless steel for its purchases from Outokumpu for its main production units in Europe. This shift is significant, as Alfa Laval's heat exchangers can contain up to 80 percent stainless steel.

Outokumpu supplies Circle Green in Supra® and Core® stainless steel grades for Alfa Laval to produce heat exchangers. Alfa Laval’s heat exchangers are used in the energy transition towards a more sustainable energy supply, including energy efficiency, waste heat recovery, and heat pumps. Alfa Laval produces these heat exchangers currently in large quantities with the potential for future growth. With Outokumpu Circle Green, these enablers of the green transition can be manufactured with an even lower carbon footprint.

Partnerships accelerating green transition
The Circle Green product line with up to 93% lower carbon footprint than the industry average* is the first commercial towards-zero stainless steel in the market. It was created to accelerate the green transition and extremely advanced circular economy. To achieve such a low level of emissions, Outokumpu uses 100 percent low-carbon electricity, low-carbon raw materials, such as recycled steel, and reinvented production processes.

“Circle Green is our spearhead climate solution, and we are extremely pleased that our long-time customer Alfa Laval is now switching its Outokumpu stainless steel orders in the main classic grades to Circle Green. Alfa Laval and Outokumpu share the same ambition to drive green transition by helping our customers to lower their carbon footprint through reducing the emissions in the entire supply chain. This cooperation is great example of how the green solutions like renewable energy call for low-carbon stainless steel,” says Thomas Anstots, President, business line Advanced Materials at Outokumpu. “If all the stainless steel in the world was produced with the same methods used for our Circle Green production, it would reduce global carbon emissions from the entire stainless steel value chain by 364 million tons per year.”

The Circle Green grades delivered to Alfa Laval include Circle Green Supra 316/4401, Circle Green Core 304/4301 and Circle Green Supra 316L/4404. Circle Green will be delivered from Outokumpu mills in Dillenburg, Germany, and Tornio, Finland.