Outokumpu Oyj : North Rhine-Westphalian Economics Minister Pinkwart on talks at Outokumpu in Krefeld

North Rhine-Westphalian Economics Minister Pinkwart on talks at Outokumpu in Krefeld

News
February 2, 2022

North Rhine-Westphalian Economics Minister Pinkwart on talks at Outokumpu in Krefeld

Today, Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart, Minister for Economic Affairs, Digitization, Innovation and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, visited the Outokumpu mill in Krefeld for talks with representatives of the company.

Focus of the exchange was, amongst others, the transformation of the steel industry towards more climate neutrality and the realization of the Green Deal. In the industry, Outokumpu is leading in sustainability and climate protection. The company's carbon footprint is already today 70 percent lower than the global industry average. In 2021, Outokumpu has committed to the 1.5°C climate target of the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and is currently the only stainless steel manufacturer who has committed to these ambitious CO₂ reductions. Part of the company's sustainability strategy is also a sustainable alignment of the supply chain.

"We have a strong track record in sustainability," says Stefan Erdmann, Chief Technology Officer & Group Sustainability. "But to be able to reduce our emissions in all scopes from direct to those of our supply chain, we have to collaborate with our partners." Therefore, at Outokumpu, sustainability is just as much a criterion for supplier evaluation as the consideration of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP).

Minister of Economic Affairs and Innovation Prof. Dr. Pinkwart: "We are pressing ahead vigorously with the transformation of the steel industry towards a climate-friendly production. The visit at Outokumpu once again made clear that the steel companies in North Rhine-Westphalia are working with great commitment on the necessary transformation and have already taken numerous important steps. These efforts also require the right political framework. It is now up to the new German Government to promptly update and implement the 'Handlungskonzept Stahl' that has been adopted in 2020. We are happy to provide our support with this matter."

North Rhine-Westphalian Minister of Economic Affairs Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart (in the middle) and other representatives of the NRW State Parliament at Outokumpu in Krefeld.

In the recent years, Outokumpu has made several investments in modernizing production lines and infrastructure and initiated new projects - such as the cooperation with RWE for optimizing the energy consumption or setting up a plant for producing stainless steel powder for additive manufacturing. In cooperation with SMS group, a production plant is currently built at the Krefeld mill which will convert stainless steel scrap into powder. Such high-grade stainless steel powder is used i.e. for metal 3D printing of components in the aerospace, automotive, medical, oil and gas and tooling industry.

"The past years have posed many challenges for us to bring the company and especially the German sites back to long-term and international competitiveness," says Henrik Lehnhardt, Managing Director and Labor Director of Outokumpu Nirosta GmbH. "But I am convinced that we have created a good basis for the future of Outokumpu in Germany and at the Krefeld site."

For more information please contact:

Claudia Fischer
Communications Manager Germany
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