One of the UK’s leading main contractors, Sir Robert McAlpine, has explained why they believe a balanced argument is necessary regarding the decarbonisation of the steel industry, and why they consider there is much more to sustainability than carbon measurement.
In an article published by This Is Money, the company outlined the importance of social value when sourcing steel and of supporting domestic producers in their transition to greener manufacturing.
Simon Richards, Sustainability Director at Sir Robert McAlpine, wrote: “We support decarbonisation in our sector, and the targets for our industry. But how we carry out that transition is important. Offshoring UK production to lower–carbon mills is not decarbonising, but displacement.
“It simply moves industrial activity overseas, exporting both emissions and jobs, and leaves the UK more exposed to volatile global markets and rising tariff barriers at a moment in which domestic production capability has become a question of national security.
“For us, this means that we don't ban blast furnace steel from our projects, which is at risk of becoming one of the unintended consequences when narrow carbon targets are applied to projects.
“Instead, our starting point will always be performance and the quality of the product. We look at our projects in the round, considering the whole life carbon impact of the building, and we set separate minimum carbon standards for both EAF and blast furnace products based on a sliding scale, to ensure best solutions are implemented when delivering our client's brief.
“This is the dual decarbonisation approach. It means driving demand for lower carbon steel over time but not excluding any specific producers today in a way that would make it harder for them to fund their transition.”
As we operate Britain’s last remaining blast furnaces and are the UK’s only producer of large constructional steel sections, we – understandably – welcome Sir Robert McAlpine’s approach.
And as we continue our journey towards clean, green, and sustainable steelmaking, we look forward to continuing to work with developers and contractors throughout the UK to provide the constructional steel they require and reinforce UK social and economic value – now and for decades to come.