Steel and the Green Movement

Fire Hall in Burlington, Ontario

Canadian steel industry – Leading the shift to Green

Global warming and climate change are two terms found increasingly in headlines around the world. Initiatives such as the Kyoto Protocol have brought these issues to the forefront and provide a framework and objectives for reducing greenhouse gases (GHG). GHG are heat trapping gases, such as water vapour, carbon dioxide, or methane that absorb the earth’s heat and hinder it from being released into space. As levels of GHG build up in the atmosphere, a greenhouse effect takes place that warms the earth’s atmosphere and makes global climate change inevitable. 

Attitudes on environmental issues are changing worldwide. Developed nations are committing to reducing GHG emissions to 5.2% below the 1990 baseline by 2012. Notably, Canada has committed to reducing its GHG emissions to 6% below 1990 levels, which corresponds to a gap of 29.1% of where the nation is and where it wants to be. An ambitious undertaking, considering that Canada’s GHG emissions have been steadily on the rise over the years and in 2004 was actually 26.6% higher than 1990 levels. On a positive note, in the last two years emissions have started to decline, but there remains a long way still to go. 

The quest for a greener Canada continues and helping to lead the way to a greener Canada is the nation’s steel industry, which is making great strides in reducing GHG emissions, conserving energy, and lessening impacts on our air, water, and land.

Doing our part
While all Canadian industries re-examine their impact on the environment, the Canadian steel industry is making significant progress in manufacturing greener products for its end users, as well as cleaning up its own manufacturing processes. The North American steel industry dedicates nearly 15% of its capital spending towards improving the environmental and sustainable development of its facilities.

The Canadian steel industry’s environmental commitment includes working with all levels of government to develop new processes and technologies that help reduce Canada’s GHG emissions and air pollutants, conserve fresh water, and reduce the impact on land by generating less waste. Between 1990 and 2006 the Canadian steel industry has achieved remarkable results with more than a 24% reduction in direct process-related GHG emissions per ton of steel produced, while managing to increase productivity by over 18%. 

A closer look at making steel in Canada 

Canada’s steel sector is one of the nation’s largest industries with annual sales greater than $11 billion, including $3 billion in exports. Canada has 13 steel mills spread between Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, and Ontario. Canadian steel makers use two different steel making processes: 

• Basic Oxygen Furnaces (BOF) account for 59% of Canada’s steel production. This process combines smelted iron ore with 25 to 35% melted scrap steel to produce products such as bars, rods, structural shapes, plates, sheets, pipes and tubes, and flat-rolled products. 
• Electric Arc Furnaces (EAF) account for the remaining 41% of Canada’s steel production. This process uses as much as 100% scrap steel to produce products including structural beams, steel plates, and reinforcing bars.

The Canadian steel industry is doing even more to improve it's impact on the environment. Download Environmental Fact Sheet #1: Steel and the Green Movement to learn more.