SSAB and Firth Steels start strategic partnership in fossil-free steel

Firth Steels is one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of steel profile products for wall and roof systems. The companies have a long-running collaboration and are now expanding their partnership to include SSAB’s fossil-free products.

The deal includes immediate deliveries of SSAB Zero™, the world’s first commercial steel made with virtually zero fossil carbon emissions. SSAB Zero™ is made of recycled steel and produced with fossil-free electricity and biogas. The steel will be used as a key component of Firth Steels’ brand-new product series Protex Voyage^®, a low embodied carbon building envelope solution.  

“We are absolutely thrilled to have been selected by SSAB to embark on this great journey in reducing carbon emissions in all aspects of our steel process. As a UK-based roll-former of steel profiles, Scope 3 emissions represent the largest portion of our carbon footprint. By forming strategic partnerships with the world's leading mills, we can significantly reduce these emissions and forge a sustainable future for our planet from the outset, not offset” says James Firth, Managing Director, Firth Steels Limited.

“We are happy to add fossil-free steel to our collaboration with Firth Steels, which already uses our bio-based GreenCoat^® colour coated steel in their products. By cutting our own carbon emissions, we can help our customers reduce their indirect emissions from the materials they use – it’s a win-win,” says Dave Williams, Managing Director, SSAB Swedish Steel Ltd.

Traditional steel production represents a significant source of global CO2 emissions, with both virgin and recycled steel production contributing to emissions. By changing the way steel is produced, SSAB wants to cut emissions and create a fossil-free value chain with customers and partners regardless of whether the raw material is scrap or iron ore.

To this end, SSAB has created two unique steels with virtually zero fossil carbon emissions: SSAB Zero™ and SSAB Fossil-free™ steel. SSAB Fossil-free™ steel is made from iron ore with the unique HYBRIT® technology, developed by SSAB with mining company LKAB and energy company Vattenfall. Instead of using coal to remove the oxygen from the iron ore to make iron, the HYBRIT^® technology uses hydrogen produced with fossil-free electricity, thus emitting water instead of CO2. SSAB Fossil-free™ steel is currently available for pilot deliveries to selected partners, with volumes expected to increase in the coming years. 

In addition to cutting indirect Scope 3 emissions, Firth Steels has several sustainable initiatives, under their ‘For Good’ campaign to reduce emissions from its own operations including energy used (Scope 1 and 2). The company has a battery storage facility on site and solar arrays which provide grid-free storage and production off grid if need be. It is certified by Planet Mark, an independent sustainability certification that measures carbon and social data.