Building materials supplier Europrofil launches green steel
Europrofil is launching a more environmentally friendly range of products based on new technology. The new steel reduces carbon dioxide emissions by more than 70 percent in the end product. Europrofil is the first company on the Swedish market to manufacture products from climate-smart steel, which is already available to order.
This transition represents a significant difference. It is very exciting to be able to release it onto the market now. We do not have time to wait for carbon dioxide emissions to reach zero when we can already see a 70 percent improvement. For the first time, there is an environmentally friendly alternative for the building material that is both the easiest to use and has the best performance in terms of fire and sound requirements. Previously, steel was not an option if you wanted to build in an environmentally friendly way, in favor of other materials. We believe this could be a game changer for the entire industry in terms of building materials, and we already know that there is very high demand, says Adam Almgren, Marketing Manager at Europrofil.
The environmentally friendly steel means that carbon dioxide emissions from steel production are reduced by approximately 70 percent, partly because some of the iron ore in the blast furnaces can be replaced with HBI (Hot Briquetted Iron) produced from iron sponge, known as DRI, and hydrogen gas is used as a reducing agent instead of ordinary coal. In connection with the launch of the environmentally friendly steel, Europrofil has created a label that makes it clear that you are buying carbon dioxide-reduced steel, in the form of the EVO label (Europrofil evolution). The new steel is purchased from the German steelworks Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG. The launch is a first step towards the production of products made from completely carbon-neutral steel.
Europrofil is also working to reduce the amount of zinc in the steel and make the product thinner. Zinc is not ideal from an environmental perspective, but it is necessary to protect the product from rust and ensure that it lasts for a long time. Making the product thinner means that less material is used and that transport can be optimized as more products can be loaded, since weight is often the decisive limitation today.
– Although the transition makes a big difference to the environment, it does not affect our production process or the quality of the end product. All the advantages of steel are retained. There are many aspects that make steel the most environmentally friendly option, as it is both recyclable and highly reusable. We recycle all waste material, but above all, we can reuse steel studs if they are dismantled correctly, says Adam Almgren.
Europrofilwas founded in 1982 and is based in Nora. The company is part of the Danish industrial group Ib Andresen Industrier A/S and is the leading player in interior wall systems for offices and other public premises in Sweden. The company has a turnover of approximately SEK 450 million in the Swedish and Norwegian markets.
