SustainabilitySpecial Focus Update
Outokumpu welcomes Industrial Accelerator Act proposal
The European Union has presented the Industrial Accelerator Act( IAA), a legislative proposal striving to accelerate industrial capacity, strengthen Europe’ s economic security, and fasttrack decarbonisation in strategic sectors. It responds to intensifying geopolitical pressures, growing dependencies in critical value chains, and declining EU industrial competitiveness. Outokumpu welcomes the proposal to increase the demand for clean products, protect economic security, and speed up decarbonisation in strategic sectors such as energy intensive industries. The Industrial Accelerator Act signals a decisive shift toward an industrial and trade strategy that integrates climate policy with industrial competitiveness. Outokumpu strongly supports the proposal to introduce European preference in public procurement and the Made-in-EU requirement. They ensure that public procurement drives demand for low-carbon, EU-produced materials rather than subsidising imported emissions, support Europe’ s strategic autonomy and strengthen Europe’ s industrial base. A resilient domestic steel industry is essential for renewable energy infrastructure, hydrogen and electrification systems, transport and mobility, construction, and defence and security.
Tubacex in top 9 % of S & P Global CSA
Tubacex has updated its sustainability performance following the publication of the results of S & P Global’ s Corporate Sustainability Assessment( CSA) 2025. In this edition, the company is positioned in the 91st percentile of its industry, that is, above 91 % of the companies assessed in its same sector, consolidating a positive upward evolution in recent years. These results reflect the structured approach with which Tubacex addresses sustainability, integrating ESG criteria into strategic decision-making, risk management and operational execution. The company highlights that this approach is especially relevant in complex industrial value chains, where operating discipline, traceability and transparency are key elements to respond to increasingly demanding regulatory and market requirements. In its latest Sustainability Report the company has updated the identification of its material aspects in accordance with the European Sustainability Reporting Standards. This exercise enables prioritising the most relevant issues based on both their impact and potential financial effects, and it constitutes one of the elements considered in S & P Global’ s Corporate Sustainability Assessment evaluation.
Alleima opens N. Carolina service center
Swiss Steel converts furnace
Swiss Steel Group’ s first forging furnace has been converted to electric heating. This marks another innovative milestone for the Swiss Steel Group on the path to the sustainable transformation of steel production. The electrification of the forging furnace alone can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 3,000 tons per year at the Finkl Steel-Sorel plant. In addition to reducing CO2 emissions, the switch from natural gas to electricity also leads to increased productivity and savings in energy consumption. A more stable process, improved plant availability, and reduced maintenance requirements are also expected. Another advantage stems from the reduction in steel oxidation in the furnace: electric heating produces less scale and thus less material loss. The switch to electric furnace technology also has a positive impact on employee health and safety: electric heating furnaces are safer to operate, air quality in the plant is improved, and dust levels are lower. Additionally, the electric forging furnace is safer to handle and easier to maintain.
Alleima’ s division Kanthal, a major brand in industrial heating technology and resistance material, has inaugurated its new service centre located in Concord, North Carolina. Producers of electronics, glass and steel are increasing their demand for new high-temperature heating solutions. To meet this increased demand, Kanthal has expanded its Globar ® silicon carbide heating element manufacturing capacity in Concord. The heating elements enable electrification of heating processes of up to 2,950 ° F and can replace fossil fuel heating solutions. This enables customers to reduce CO 2 emissions in their production and to make it more energy efficient, clean, safe and improve process control. The aim is to capture market growth with a local production footprint in the US and support long-term product and application development. The service centre includes expanding the company’ s main site for production of Globar ® silicon carbide heating elements in Perth, Scotland, with an additional 19,000 square feet manufacturing area, as well as new equipment, a new layout, and an additional warehouse.
6 Stainless Steel World May 2026 www. stainless-steel-world. net