JULY 202419energy, waste heat recovery, energy efficiency, technology upgradation, process optimization, substitution with clean fuel, increase in input scrap utilization, and usage of green hydrogen. Most of these have already been brought into practice and are being implemented by many organizations in the industry. Apart from these, other factors such as logistics and fleet decarbonization, by moving towards EVs, and transitioning from fuel-based heating to electrical heating with Renewable Power also play a crucial role in the steel industry achieving net-zero status. Additionally, stainless steel companies must not only look at achieving net zero footprint through just their operations but must also include reducing the carbon footprint over the entire lifecycle of their products. Achieving net zero status is a highly challenging task for the steel industry because ensuring both upstream and downstream carbon footprints are reduced is truly a tough nut to crack for most companies.How are stainless steel manufacturers prioritizing sustainability in their production process?At present, stainless steel in India is made mostly using scrap materials as part of the circular economy. Due to this, stainless steel is already green steel due to the very nature of its production process. As the largest stainless steel manufacturer in India today, our production route is electric arc furnaces using scrap materials. Electric arc furnaces can be powered through renewable energy sources, making our stainless steel products more eco-friendly. However, since the stainless steel industry is highly dependent on the availability of scrap as the raw material, the more we increase the usage of scrap in our production process, the more availability of scrap has to be ensured. This can be done through several channels such as the government's initiatives around collection and recycling of scrap materials, which will lead to a more robust circular economy and reduce emissions from upstream processes as well.Throw some light on a few strategies and innovations that steel manufacturers are adopting lately to reduce their carbon footprint.Apart from energy substitution, a new innovative strategy that the stainless steel industry is increasingly adopting in recent times is carbon capture and utilization. We have to see how effectively the large-scale and commercial-scale carbon capture and utilization is finding its place in the steel manufacturing industry. While manufacturers are using this strategy as a pilot project currently, as the industry gains confidence in it and the technology becomes available at affordable costs, there is no doubt that we will witness its widespread adoption. Another effective strategy to reduce the carbon footprint is to ensure that the end-of-life stainless steel products are recycled into the industry and streamlining the scrap collection and distribution process across the industry. Stainless steel companies must not only look at achieving a net-zero footprint through just their operations but must also include reducing the carbon footprint over the entire lifecycle of their products
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