STEEL FOR PACKAGING IS ABOUT SUSTAINABLE PROCESSES
The steel industry is becoming ever-more efficient, constantly innovating to use less resources, increase circularity and develop innovations that positively contribute to a greener future for all.
Doing more with less
The production process of steel for packaging now accounts for far fewer CO2 emissions than ever before and the use of raw materials and energy have been similarly reduced.
The steel industry takes its responsibilities for water management seriously and is constantly evaluating how best to use water, finding improvements both in conservation and reuse. In the same way as steel, water can be reused and recycled, thus improving efficiency of use and reducing demand.
- A 3-piece food can has reduced in thickness from 0.20 mm to 0.13 mm over the last 40 years, meaning it’s 29% thinner
- Every tonne of scrap used for new steel production reduces C02 emissions by 1,5 tonnes
- Every tonne of scrap used for new steel production saves over 2 tonnes of raw materials
- About 90% of water used in the steel industry is cleaned, cooled and returned to source
Life Cycle Analysis
To understand the environmental performance of a product, its entire life cycle needs to be taken into consideration.
Steel for Packaging Europe has, since 2006, carried out a LCA for tinplate production in Europe to create a comprehensive environmental profile for steel packaging and demonstrate the continuous improvements in environmental performance. To access the latest tinplate LCI dataset please contact us here
However true circularity is more difficult to measure.
Because steel can be recycled over and over again, indefinitely, without any loss of its inherent properties, our industry has made significant progress with the Material Circularity Indicator (from The Ellen MacArthur Foundation) as a complementary tool alongside traditional LCA’s to highlight the advantages of using materials that can recycle over and over again without loss of quality.
Sourcing minerals, responsibly
Given the steel industry uses mined raw materials, Steel for Packaging Europe member companies have each established policies to ensure their minerals are traceable and originate from ethical sources.
At an industry-wide level, Steel for Packaging Europe members each comply with the OECD Due Diligence Guidance which gives a global framework to responsible sourcing1.
1- Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas
Green steel decarbonisation