The transformation of supply chains in the spirit of sustainability
The steel industry is one of the most important sectors of the European Union, producing around 160 million tons of finished steel annually. However, the importance of the steel industry goes beyond the more production of steel, since we can assess its true impact on society and the economy only if we take into account the role of both the supplier and the customer side. As a raw material, steel plays a key role in many industries, and its economic impact is extremely significant. The steel industry employs a total of 2.3 million people within the EU and is responsible for more than 96 million jobs worldwide, taking into account the global supply chain. That is why securing the supply chain and making it more sustainable is extremely important.
The goal is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions
The demand for steel has been steadily increasing since the end of the pandemic, because construction industry investments in parking lots have been restarted due to the pandemic, and the demand for steel in many other areas has also increased. This put a lot of pressure on the supply chain, which was further increased by the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war and the destruction of the Azovstal steel plant. These conditions have temporarily diverted attention from a long-term goal, the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions (also known as carbon footprint). However, if we take sustainability and the climate goals laid down in the Paris Agreement seriously, then at every point of the supply chain we must reduce emissions that harm the environment and strive to use as much green steel as possible.
thyssenkrupp Materials carbon footprint calculator
thyssenkrupp Materials Services, as Europe's largest materials distributor and service provider, has developed a unique calculation model that can be used to track the carbon footprint of a product in the entire supply chain. The Product Carbon Footprint - PCF for short - calculator calculates the exact CO2 emissions of individual products from production to delivery. This complex calculation takes into account all data, from the location of warehouses to transportation to loading, so our customers have accurate basic data for their own PCF calculations. It is currently impossible to produce completely climate-neutral steel, but a 10-20 percent reduction is already a significant step in the case of a material with such high CO2 emissions. With the help of the PCF calculator, all our customers can make informed decisions in order to be able to use products with the lowest possible carbon footprint.