ISSF Announces 2012 Sustainability Award Winners
05/21/2012 - The International Stainless Steel Forum (ISSF) has announced the three winners of its 2012 Sustainability Award: Aperam (France), Nippon Metal Industry Co., Ltd. (Japan), and Taiyuan Iron & Steel Group Co. Ltd. - TISCO (China).
The International Stainless Steel Forum (ISSF) has announced the three winners of its 2012 Sustainability Award, recognizing the outstanding contribution of ISSF Member companies to the sustainability of the global stainless steel industry.
Aperam (France) was selected for its SolarStyl® building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) system. Aperam has created a new stainless steel product for BIPV installations that decreases the cost of photovoltaic modules and increases their performance. Through the SolarStyl® system, the company is promoting the use of photovoltaic energy and contributing to the development of renewable energy.
Nippon Metal Industry Co., Ltd. (Japan) won for its improvement in recycling performance. The company has been trying to find ways to recycle waste products from the stainless steelmaking process. As a result of the company’s efforts, the amount of pickling sludge going to landfill has declined from 100% to zero. Around 9,500 tonnes of pig iron containing nickel and chromium have been recovered in the three years since the project began.
Taiyuan Iron & Steel Group Co. Ltd. - TISCO (China) was chosen for its system to reuse the remaining heat in steam. TISCO has implemented technical measures that turn low-quality heat and steam into electric power. The system has cut the company’s energy consumption and improved its environmental performance. In 2004, TISCO recovered around 0.8% of remaining heat and steam. By 2011, this had risen to 4.7%. The amount of power generated from remaining heat and steam has risen from 1.9% of total energy needs per annum to 17% as a result.
The 2011 Awards attracted 17 entries from 11 of ISSF’s member companies; this year the number of entries more than doubled to 36, and 15 companies took part.
The International Stainless Steel Forum (ISSF) is a nonprofit research organization that serves as the world forum on various aspects of the international stainless steel industry. ISSF was founded in 1996, and its members are located in 25 countries.
