If you look around you right now, there is a good chance that steel is part of nearly everything you see. The kettle you used for your cup of tea. In the laptop or phone you're currently reading from. In the gratings resting next to your desk…
Okay, maybe the last one is just for me, working in a steel grating company. But steel is deeply embedded in modern life that we barely notice it. Because of this, it plays a significant role in shaping our environmental footprint on our planet.
To understand steel’s environmental impact, we need to start where impact is created - because the way steel is made determines much of its carbon footprint.
Long before steel becomes a beam, a bridge or a grating, it begins with iron – extracted from iron ore. Once iron has been extracted from this natural resource, it becomes the foundation for the making of steel.
Steel is created by combining iron with carbon, manganese, silicon, phosphorus, sulphur and oxygen. Typically, a percentage of recycled steel is also utilised to mitigate carbon emissions. The key step in this process is a chemical procedure called reduction, in which iron is separated from oxygen in iron ore using carbon as a reducing agent. This is why carbon emissions are unavoidable in steel production and why this step is the most energy-intensive part of the entire process. The result is a product significantly stronger than pure iron, due to the small amounts of carbon. Achieving this strength and durability requires substantial heat and energy.
This is why the industry accounts for a substantial share of global carbon emissions. In percentage terms, steel is responsible for approximately 7% of the world’s carbon emissions. For this reason, the creation of steel is both a major source of emissions and a key focus for change. In Europe, production has already shifted towards cleaner methods: around 40% of steel is made using the Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) route. Instead of burning coal, EAF steel melts scrap metals using electricity passed through an arc between electrodes and the metal, drastically reducing pollution compared with traditional methods.
After production, the crude steel is rolled into finished steel products, such as plates, sections, bars, or coils – materials used to manufacture products like our steel gratings.
Because steel production is a major contributor to CO 2 emissions, the industry must also focus on meeting a greater share of global demand through truly sustainable steelmaking processes. As a company that sources steel gratings, it is crucial not to take green labels at face value. We need to dig deeper, investigate and demand proof. Because when it comes to sustainability, facts, not just promises, are what make the real difference. That is one of the reasons we, for example, decided to obtain EPD documents for our steel gratings. EPDs provide transparent, third-party-verified data on a product’s environmental impact, enabling comparisons and informed decision-making. For us, it’s a concrete step towards greater accountability as we can demonstrate our footprint with credibility – and a more honest, measurable contribution to the green transition.
Acknowledging the carbon footprint of steelmaking is only one part of the story.
Why?
Because steel also plays a vital role in the path towards more sustainable construction. Steel stands apart from many other materials in one crucial way: it is a permanent material that can be recycled infinitely. Steel is up to 99% recyclable, and the only thing keeping us from saying 100% is the unavoidable small amount of waste (steel dust and other tiny particles).
This is why steel plays a crucial role in the context of the green transition. Sustainability is not only about whether a material can be recycled, but also how long it lasts in use. Steel is exceptionally durable, often remaining in service for decades – our galvanised steel gratings, for example, can have a lifespan of up to 70 years. And even after that, the material retains its value: Used steel can still be converted into high-value steel. This stands in contrast to other materials, such as fibreglass grates, concrete or wood, which are often downgraded and have a limited number of life cycles. In this way, today’s steel gratings can become tomorrow's bridges or buildings.
At first glance, steel might seem like an old, non-renewable material that only emits carbon emissions and harms our planet – but behind the scenes, the steel industry is constantly innovating. Today, engineers are designing more innovative steel products that use less material, last longer, and have a smaller carbon footprint.
One example of this approach is Cube™ gratings, a product from PcP (Danish steel grating supplier). The Cube™ gratings are an example of how intelligent design can reduce environmental impact without compromising strength or safety. The idea behind the brand was simple but ambitious: maintain the same performance as traditional mesh gratings while using significantly less material. Through innovative, structural design, the gratings' geometry reinforces their durability, enabling greater strength with less steel. As a result, Cube™ gratings are made with up to 40% less steel compared to an average mesh grating, leading to a reduction of more than 15 kg CO2 compared to traditional mesh gratings. At a time when 1.89 tonnes of CO2 are emitted for every tonne of steel produced, design-let solutions like this play an important role in reducing the construction industry’s carbon footprint.
The Cube™ gratings are just one of many examples of how the industry is working together to develop breakthrough steelmaking technologies that can reduce carbon emissions.
To name another example, SSAB, one of our most trusted partners for raw steel materials, is continuously working to become a fossil-free steel producer. SSAB continuously works to reuse more metal scrap in their steel while still maintaining the quality we need for our strong gratings. On average, our steel products contain up to 20% recycled steel, and increasing this share would further aid in the green transition.
This is why steel production is an important factor in the green transition – whether it’s for a steel grating walkway, galvanised steel gratings, or elephant gratings, they all matter. Durable products that last a lifetime are necessary to uphold high-quality production standards. When we maintain a high standard in product manufacturing, we also reduce carbon emissions by minimising reconstruction, product renewal, and frequent maintenance. And when we add that to renewing steel products that reduce their carbon footprint during production by using recycled steel, we get closer to our goal of protecting our planet.
Steel might come from our dear mother Earth, but its story doesn't end there. With durability spanning decades, recyclability that preserves value and innovative designs, steel proves how it can be both strong and more sustainable. Ongoing advancements and improvements across the industry point to a future where steel continues to build our cities and impact our daily lives without costing the planet. Steel is more than a material; it is also a cornerstone of sustainable construction, capable of renewal, reinvention, and long-term impact.
In the end, the hope is to encourage a broader conversation about the role of steel in environmental discussions.
