Optimized solutions that guarantee most sustainable buildings

Low on carbon footprint. High on sustainability.

"The construction world has a major responsibility toward paving the path for a carbon-neutral future for the industry. Everything from the choice of raw materials and products used in buildings, logistics, construction processes and building use-phase inevitably has a huge impact on the environment. We offer a wide portfolio of low carbon solutions that can reduce environmental impact by helping you create cleaner, greener and more sustainable built environment."

Jyrki Kesti, Head of Sustainability Development, Building Envelopes

Towards carbon-neutral building products

When you look at the complete lifecycle of a building, it is important to evaluate the total carbon emissions of all building materials and products and the construction process — known as the building’s embodied carbon. We work systematically towards reducing the environmental impact of our products by not only minimizing embodied carbon emissions today, but also considering the future emissions impacts during the product’s lifecycle — durability, longevity, end-of-life scenarios, reusability, and recyclability.

Fossil free steel as an enabler

SSAB , LKAB (Europe’s largest iron ore producer) and Vattenfall (one of Europe’s largest energy companies) have joined forces in HYBRIT. Using HYBRIT technology, SSAB aims to replace coking coal, traditionally needed for ore-based steelmaking, with fossil-free electricity and hydrogen. The result will be the world’s first fossil-free steelmaking technology, with virtually no carbon footprint. Goal is to reduce Sweden’s CO₂emissions by 10 % and Finland’s by 7 %.

We in Ruukki will be the first in line to utilize this revolutionary fossil free steel in building products from 2026.

Opting for low CO₂ and circular raw materials to reduce environmental impact

Already today, we are focusing on low carbon and circular raw materials in our products to offer low-carbon products to our customers.

Our parent company SSAB’s color-coated steel has about a 15 % lower carbon footprint than the global average
Over 70 % of the weight of Ruukki Life panel insulation is made of recycled glass
Our own PIR-formulation contains a raw material that uses 50 % recycled PE

Optimizing processes to reduce carbon footprint

We aim to reduce the carbon footprint of our own operations by 70 % by the year 2030 compared to 2019 — we are almost getting there through deliberate action in our everyday processes:

Optimizing material usage in our products — less weight equals less CO₂ emissions and less energy during transportation and installation
Most of our plants have shifted to zero-emission electricity
Half of our plants have already switched to electric and bio-diesel forklift trucks
Opting for bio-based fuel – already implemented in Sweden
Improving the energy efficiency of buildings at all our plants
Investing in on-site solar power generation – first installations in Poland
Reducing steel and insulation waste during manufacturing by optimizing production and product sizes — we have achieved a 30% improvement in our panel factory in Finland
Choosing lower-emission packaging materials and optimizing the weight of the packaging — weight of wooden pallets already reduced, plastic usage under research

"We are proud of our process development and energy efficiency actions in Oborniki factory in Poland. For example, our smart solutions in the new mineral wool panel line directly contribute to our carbon neutral targets. With new production technology, we can use thinner slabs and thus decrease the amount of wool dust at the milling station. We use less energy to ensure proper temperature conditions for the production process and we have introduced new ways of waste management, such as press compactors for wool scrap that reduce its volume and lower transportation costs. We effectively reuse panel core’s scrap as a raw material for new products."

Marcin Remisz, Production Manager, Oborniki plant

Prioritizing greener alternatives to enable cleaner logistics

Our production plants are located near our customers to minimize transportation emissions. For example, we have recently informed on new PIR panel production line in Sweden to be close to our Nordic customers.
Improving logistics efficiency — ensuring full loads and optimizing return loads delivering raw materials to the factory
Actively seeking green logistic solutions together with our contract transportation companies

Optimized solutions that guarantee most sustainable buildings

Apart from embodied carbon, there are a whole lot of other factors associated with sustainable buildings. These include for instance, energy efficiency, longevity, maintainability and adaptability of buildings. Ruukki® Air-tightness package is a good example of a holistic approach that enables optimization of building insulation levels which in turn also has a positive effect on embodied carbon. We consider also wellbeing of people as one important cornerstone of sustainable buildings. Our Ruukki® Sound Environment solutions are good example of that.

Examples of our low carbon products

Learn about Ruukki® Life panels

The carbon footprint of Ruukki Life panels is 20% lower than the average European mineral wool panel. Over 70% of the material content of the glass wool in the panels is produced from recycled glass. The production of the panels focuses on minimizing raw material consumption, utilizing an optimal amount of recycled material, and optimizing transportation.

Learn about Ruukki® PIR panels

Our PIR panels have about a 20% smaller carbon footprint than the average European PIR panes. PIR ingredients contain recycled PET content. They offer low thermal transmittance and excellent air-tightness. The panels ensure better U-values compared to MW panels.

Learn about Ruukki® Patina Panels

Our Ruukki Patina panel significantly reduces a building's carbon dioxide emissions and improves the building's LEED and BREEAM rating. It improves a building's energy efficiency and reduces its energy costs and enables you to achieve savings of up to 20% in the building's heating costs.

Learn about our cladding products

The products have a small carbon footprint, thanks to its light structure. It is 100% recyclable, easy and fast to install - no wastage on site. They are long-lasting products with superior coatings and low maintenance needs. Re-usable: Easy to dismantle and re-install.

Focusing on reusability, renewability and end-of-life optimization

Our superior coating solutions with product warranties guarantee long service life to the products without product changes and minimized maintenance needs, or even maintenance free such as Ruukki® Patina Panel
Most of our products also enable reusing if the building life span is less than the product service life. This means remarkable CO₂ savings in the following life cycles
Preservation of steel’s inherent properties after recycling classifies them as “permanent materials"