According to Outokumpu, the agreement gives it a right to 50% of the output from Envigas AB, a Swedish producer that is aiming to expand its production capacity by 25,000 metric tons by the end of 2026. 

“The move toward using new types of biomass-based raw materials is a concrete step forward to significantly reduce our direct emissions, which account for approximately 25% of Outokumpu’s total emissions. We have successfully carried out production tests with biocarbon and biocoke and look forward to increasing their usage in the future,” said Outokumpu general manager Timo Huhtala, who is responsible for the company’s biocoke initiative.

“To decarbonize our stainless steel requires efforts in reducing emission across all scopes. Utilization of biomass-based raw materials represents an exciting new chapter in our stainless steel production. It also supports the circular economy since valuable, sustainably-sourced, forest and wood industry side streams, currently burned for low-efficient energy purposes, can be utilized to create new types of raw materials for other industries,” he added.