SSAB Americas has partnered with railcar manufacturer Greenbrier and metal recycler Alter Trading to launch a closed-loop steel recycling initiative in the United States aimed at demonstrating the circular use of near-zero emissions steel.
Under the project, Greenbrier will manufacture 50 gondola railcars using SSAB Zero steel produced at SSAB’s Iowa facility. The railcars will be delivered to Alter Trading, which will use them to transport recycled scrap metal back to SSAB for the production of new steel, creating a closed-loop recycling system.
SSAB said the initiative highlights how recycled materials can be used to produce steel with near-zero fossil carbon emissions and then be returned to the supply chain for future steelmaking without the use of carbon offsets.
SSAB Zero is produced from recycled steel using fossil-free electricity and biogas at the company’s electric arc furnace operations in Iowa. According to SSAB, fossil carbon emissions from the production process are less than 0.05 kg of CO2 equivalent per kilogram of steel under Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions.
The company said the project demonstrates the commercial viability of low-emission steel in demanding industrial applications while improving material traceability and resource efficiency across the value chain.
SSAB Americas is a leading producer of high-strength and specialty steels in North America. Greenbrier is a major manufacturer of freight railcars and rail transportation equipment, while Alter Trading operates one of the largest metal recycling networks in the United States.