FOCUS ON MATERIALS
Giannis and Nefeli Baklis of the PrometalBaklis service centre.
reduces emissions by up to 93 % compared to the industry average. This allows us to meet the needs of a future in which stainless steel demand continues to grow without sacrificing our climate goals.
Circle Green is built on a clear and forward-thinking approach.
■ Recyclability. Stainless steel is already among the most recycled materials on earth. By utilising high levels of premium recycled material, Circle Green significantly reduces the need for primary raw materials, strengthening both environmental performance and resource efficiency.
■ The use of innovative alloying strategies. Carefully selected inputs and alternative energy carriers reduce emissions without affecting material quality.
■ Low-carbon energy. Using renewable electricity in key production steps dramatically lowers the footprint of stainless-steel manufacturing.
Circle Green blanks for delivery to V-ZUG.
By placing a carbon cost on imports equivalent to that faced by EU producers, CBAM levels the playing field and ensures that cheaper, higher-emission material from outside the EU no longer has a built-in price advantage
Used across industries
The 3,500-tonne order of Outokumpu’ s Circle Green ® placed by PrometalBakli, a leading Greek stainless steel service centre, is the largest single commitment to certified lowcarbon stainless steel recorded in the market to date.
The order represents roughly 12 % of total annual stainless-steel demand across the entire Greek market. PrometalBakli serves customers across industrial equipment and elevator manufacturing. It made this commitment before customer demand had explicitly materialised. By 2026, low-carbon stainless steel is expected to represent more than one-third of the company’ s annual
purchases. In a sector where adoption of certified low-carbon material remains surprisingly limited, that is an undeniable statement of intent.
Cases like Lappset Group are an example of how this sustainability shift is impacting a growing range of applications. The Lappset Group, with more than 55 years of experience in outdoor play and fitness equipment, specifies stainless steel precisely because it lasts. For playground and public realm equipment, longevity is non-negotiable. Materials must resist corrosion, vandalism and years of heavy daily use.
PrometalBakli service centre in Greece.
Public sector tenders are beginning to require environmental credentials alongside the standard safety and durability specifications. A stainless-steel slide manufactured using a low-carbon production route carries the same physical properties it always has but now carries documentation that it was produced with a fraction of the usual embedded emissions. For companies like Lappset, which already specify recyclable materials across their portfolio, this is a logical extension of a mission already in motion.
Meanwhile Grundfos, the world’ s largest water solutions company, is producing approximately 17 million pumps annually. Stainless steel is critical in pump technology, particularly for moving parts in constant contact with water. For a business operating at that scale, the transition to low-carbon stainless steel is a procurement decision of considerable weight.
In the built environment sector, where pump specification is a routine part of construction
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