• Delivery of larger quantities of strongly CO2-reduced stainless steel intended from 2023 onward
• Significant expansion of sustainable product portfolio
• Introduction of categorizations for CO2-reduced stainless steel and aluminum

Klöckner & Co has received the first coil made of CO2-minimized stainless steel from Outokumpu, the global leader in sustainable stainless steel. Outokumpu’s new Circle Green product is stainless steel with 92% lower CO2 emissions than the industry average and therefore classified in the best category (Prime) in Klöckner & Co's new categorization for stainless steel. The Collaboration with Outokumpu enables Klöckner & Co to significantly expand its sustainable range of Nexigen® products and services.

Guido Kerkhoff, CEO of Klöckner & Co SE: “After securing significant quantities of CO-reduced steel at an early stage, we are now also committed to increasing the availability of other CO-reduced metals for our customers – Outokumpu's first CO-minimized stainless steel coil is another important step in the right direction for our company. With it, we enable even more of our customers to already build sustainable value chains today and strengthen our position as a pioneer of sustainability.”

Heikki Malinen, President and CEO of Outokumpu: “We want to help our customers and partners to develop solutions that reduce climate burden by means of the right material choices. As the global leader in the sustainable stainless steel sector, we are pleased to cooperate with Klöckner & Co, one of the largest producer-independent distributors of steel and metal products. Both companies are united by our strong aspirations for a sustainable metal sector, which we are once again getting closer to with our collaboration. Partnering around sustainability offers the possibility to cut emissions and support companies to reach their climate targets.”

From 2023 onward, Klöckner & Co and Outokumpu intend to supply larger quantities of CO-minimized stainless steel. The processing will be provided by Klöckner & Co’s German subsidiary Becker Stainless, among others. Outokumpu will be able to supply CO-minimized stainless steel in various categories of the new categorization developed by Klöckner & Co.

With the new categorizations for CO-reduced stainless steel and aluminum under the Nexigen® umbrella, customers can directly identify the carbon footprint of products purchased from Klöckner & Co. The scales are rooted in international standards and classify low-carbon stainless steel and aluminum in six material-specific categories, each according to the complete CO2 emissions from raw material extraction to production. The company thus offers its customers a simple way to reliably assess and compare the carbon footprint quality of sourced material.

Outokumpu has ambitious targets in terms of sustainability and is further shaping the stainless steel market by setting a new benchmark with its Circle Green product line, launched in June 2022. The Circle Green production was first of its kind globally, as no other stainless steel manufacturer has been able to produce stainless steel with such low emission levels – reflecting all the climate emissions from raw material extraction through the whole production chain. Outokumpu is proud to be placed in Klöckner’s ‘Prime’ category of Nexigen®. Circle Green is available today and will contribute to further decarbonize the industry sector.