
(Posted on 24/06/26)
SSAB Americas, The Greenbrier Companies and Alter Trading are partnering on a circular economy project that demonstrates how recycled materials can be used to produce near-zero emissions steel and returned to the supply chain for new steel making. The effort begins at SSAB’s Iowa operations where SSAB’s near-zero emissions steel, SSAB Zero, is produced from recycled metals and fossil-free energy.
Greenbrier is currently using SSAB Zero™ steel to produce 50 gondola railcars, which will be delivered to Alter. Once delivered, recycled metals loaded on gondolas will be returned to SSAB and offloaded to produce new steel.
SSAB Zero™ is manufactured from recycled metals and fossil-free energy with near-zero fossil carbon emissions. The partnership highlights a sustainability story powered by collaboration in a closed-loop value chain.
“This effort demonstrates the performance of near zero emissions steel in sophisticated industrial applications”, said Tom Cox, President of SSAB Americas. “The circular economy works best with material supplied at scale, to valuable end-use applications within an existing supply chain.”
This successful collaboration relies on documented production processes, physical logistics, and material traceability, without the use of offsets. Subsequent updates will document fabrication, operational use, and the return of recycled metals to steelmaking.
Learn more about the initiative here: SSAB Zero™ steel puts the circular economy into motion - SSAB
About SSAB Zero™ steel
SSAB Zero™ is a commercially available steel made in Iowa, produced from recycled steel using fossil free electricity and biogas, resulting in near zero fossil carbon emissions during steel production. Fossil carbon emissions in SSAB’s production of SSAB Zero are less than 0.05 kg CO?e per kg of steel in Scopes 1 and 2 under the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. SSAB Zero is produced in SSAB’s electric arc furnaces in Iowa and offers the same mechanical properties, performance, and quality as conventional SSAB steels, without relying on carbon offsets or mass balance allocation. Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are available, and SSAB Zero is designed for demanding applications across transportation, construction, energy and heavy industry.
About Alter
Founded in 1898, Alter Trading Corporation is a 128-year-old, fifth generation, privately owned company. Alter is ISO 9001 and 14001 certified, has 1,600 employees, and operates 78 metal recycling facilities and five trading offices in eleven states, along with a sales office in Singapore. Headquartered in St. Louis, Alter provides a direct supply of quality products and services, sourced both in America and abroad, to customers in the United States and throughout the world.
About Greenbrier
Greenbrier, headquartered in Lake Oswego, Oregon, is a leading international supplier of equipment and services to global freight transportation markets. Through its wholly-owned subsidiaries and joint ventures, Greenbrier designs, builds and markets freight railcars in North America, Europe, and Brazil.
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