Contact Us

Sustainability

Energy management with a green vision

Increasing our efficiency from steel melting to bright steel production has always been part of our DNA and has made us one of the most environmentally efficient steel producers in our class.

At Steeltec, we are aware of our responsibility towards the environment and society. Our products make a decisive contribution to reducing the CO2 footprint of the entire value chain. However, to ensure comprehensive environmental protection, the individual areas need to interact. Weak points must be identified, eliminated and systematically optimized. With this ongoing process, we ensure that all production processes are as environmentally friendly as possible.

Limited energy resources, continuing climate warming and society's increasing rejection of nuclear power: policy makers and companies alike are called upon to introduce new measures. One example is the Swiss government's energy strategy for 2050 which once again clearly emphasizes the importance of energy efficiency. As a manufacturing company, we accordingly hold ourselves accountable for the economical and efficient use of energy.

Steel from renewable energies

Within the framework of our own energy policies, we record and analyze the consumption of our energy carriers. This information is used to define strategic and operational energy targets as well as to plan, implement and monitor power conservation measures. Around one third of our entire annual energy needs today already stems from renewable sources.

To counteract rising energy costs and enhance our competitiveness on the international market, we aim to improve our energy efficiency continuously. To do so we ascertain our optimization potential in terms of energy use and consumption and make changes where necessary. By reducing our consumption of fossil fuels, we deliver a lasting reduction in our CO2 emissions.

Our new walking beam furnace results in an annual CO₂ saving of 5,500 tons

At the same time, we are investing in state-of-the-art manufacturing plants to boost production of sustainable steel. Steeltec is using our new walking beam furnace, for example, to uniformly heat billets of different dimensions and qualities for subsequent rolling into wire in the rolling mill. The furnace is capable of processing 150t/h. This means a more uniform heating of continuous cast billets with only few deviations of a maximum of +/-7.5°C.

Saving energy with targeted measures

Waste heat utilization rolling mill: -490MWh/year

For example, by utilizing waste heat in the rolling mill, we generate over 11 million kWh of thermal energy per year. This enables us to reduce our CO₂ emissions and natural gas consumption for heat generation by around 60%.

Optimization of hydraulic pumps: -311 MWh/year

By installing radiant recuperators in 2015, natural gas consumption at the ladle furnace was reduced by preheating the combustion air. The savings amount to 311 MWh/a.

Optimization compressors: -216 MWh/year

Since 2015, the replacement and optimization of compressors in the water and compressed air systems at the rolling mill have resulted in energy savings of 216 MWh/a.

Principles of our energy policies

  • We save energy and aim to reduce specific CO2 emissions.
  • We are constantly monitoring energy consumption and improving specific energy use scenarios.
  • We consider energy efficiency during investment planning investments
  • We involve our suppliers and service providers in regard to our energy policies.


To implement the energy policies successfully, we run an energy management system (EnMS) which has been successfully ISO 50001 certified in 2014 for Germany for the rolled steel and bright steel divisions.

The prerequisite to improved energy efficiency is the active participation of all employees. Consequently, our employees are continuously educated in responsible and sustainable energy use. They know, for example, how their activities influence energy consumption and CO2 emissions and are able to contribute to achieving the improvement targets.

Certified environmental management

The visible effects of climate change such as the increased rate of catastrophic flooding already seen today are an important element of our environmental management. Certification according to international standard ISO 14001 is proof of our holistic way of thinking about ecology and the economy. To promote biodiversity, we maintain near-natural landscaping at our production site in Emmenbrücke und are committed to preserving nature. We have been recognized for our efforts with the seal of quality from the Swiss Foundation for Nature & Economy. But we also analyze future challenges, and they greatly influence our investment strategy. So that we can remain " green " in the future, too.

Contact us

Head of Plant Infrastructure

Dragan Miletic

Tel. +41 41 209 5151

We’re here for you.