AISI Touts Steel Sustainability on Earth Day

WASHINGTON, DC-   Kevin Dempsey, president and CEO of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), today issued the following statement in response to Earth Day and the White House Leaders Summit on Climate:

“The American steel industry is among the cleanest in the world. We produce a significant portion of our steel from electric arc furnaces (EAFs), which use scrap to produce steel, resulting in lower process emissions of CO₂ from steelmaking, and integrated steel mills in the U.S. are almost entirely fed by domestically-sourced iron ore pellets versus the much dirtier sintered ore used in China and elsewhere. As a result, the American steel industry has much lower emissions of CO₂ as well as NOx, SO₂ and particulate matter. We also use a high percentage of lower-emitting natural gas in our mills. In addition, steel is the most recycled material on the planet. Steel products are 100 percent recyclable at the end of their useful lives and all steel produced in the U.S. contains recycled content.

“But that doesn’t mean we are sitting still. Despite the fact that the American steel industry represents less than two percent of the global steel industry’s CO₂ emissions, we continue to innovate toward increased use of renewable energy in steel production as well as emissions-reducing advancements in domestic production. This includes the use of direct reduced iron (DRI) and hot briquetted iron (HBI), which use natural gas as a reductant. Steel also provides the solutions for customer sectors to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions — for example through the use of lightweight steels to make vehicles more fuel-efficient, modern steels used for building windmills and solar panels, and electrical steels used for electrical motors and in the electric grid.

“We congratulate President Biden on his leadership in convening the climate summit this week. However, we are disappointed that China has not agreed to do more. Chinese steel production accounts for about 64 percent of the global steel industry’s CO₂ emissions alone and must be a key part of the solution. We urge the administration to advocate for approaches that recognize the world-leading environmental performance of the American steel industry and our workers.”

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Contact: Lisa Harrison

202.452.7115 / lharrison@steel.org

AISI serves as the voice of the American steel industry in the public policy arena and advances the case for steel in the marketplace as the preferred material of choice. AISI also plays a lead role in the development and application of new steels and steelmaking technology. AISI’s membership is comprised of integrated and electric arc furnace steelmakers, and associate members who are suppliers to or customers of the steel industry. For more news about steel and its applications, view AISI’s website at www.steel.org. Follow AISI on Facebook or Twitter (@AISISteel).