Sandwich panel shows how collaboration can lead to sustainable success

Jun. 12, 2024

Circularity in building materials is good not only for the environment but also beneficial for business and corporate culture. However, promoting the development of new sustainable building materials requires collaboration. This was the message conveyed when representatives from Ruukki, Isover/Saint Gobain, and SSAB met at Nordbygg 2024 to discuss how they are collectively creating sustainable flows and processes to enable the manufacture of recyclable products without compromising quality.

The well-attended seminar at Nordbygg 2024 revolved around extensive collaboration to offer sustainable building products. This collaboration has been ongoing for more than a decade and is now more relevant than ever. The discussion highlighted Ruukki® Life panels, , which enable a fully circularity product using emission-free recycled steel from SSAB and glass wool made from over 70 percent recycled glass.

"The construction industry is a traditional sector that uses conventional materials. But with this product, we have shown how we can break old patterns and processes to drive the necessary development towards more sustainable construction," says Rasmus Larsson, Portfolio & Sustainability Manager, Ruukki Scandinavia.

Demand and business opportunity for sustainable products

According to Viktor Lax, Offer & Innovation Director Mortars, Saint-Gobain Nordic & Baltic, Isover’s glass wool has several environmental benefits.

"Our glass wool is made from at least 70 percent recycled glass. It has excellent insulation properties, leading to lower energy consumption, effectively attenuates noise, and has high fire safety. It also requires no maintenance and serves its purpose throughout the building's lifespan. The glass wool is produced with fossil-free electricity and manufactured locally, ensuring full lifecycle control," he explains.

"Together with Ruukki, with whom we have a long-standing partnership, we saw an opportunity to further develop glass wool insulation to meet the stringent requirements for a sandwich panel for exterior walls," he adds.

Boosting customer competitiveness

Ruukki® Life panels can now be produced with recycled steel from SSAB, made in electric arc furnaces using recycled steel scrap as the raw material. The production process itself is powered by fossil-free electricity and biogas. The result is steel that has virtually zero emissions.

"The next step will be to use sponge iron as raw material. This means replacing the traditional blast furnace process, used since the 14th century, with technology where iron ore reduction takes place using fossil-free hydrogen. This steel is already being produced at a smaller scale today. We expect to offer SSAB Fossil-free steel in a commercial scale in 2026," says Thomas Hörnfeldt, Head of Sustainable Business, SSAB.

"Our goal is to boost our customers' competitiveness, and sustainability is a crucial parameter," he adds.

Products made from fossil-free steel are part of Ruukki's goal to lead the construction industry towards carbon-neutral building. The Nordic countries, particularly Sweden and Norway, are pioneers in sustainable construction.

"There is a great demand for this type of product. This project is an excellent example of how we can create demand by collaborating with the entire value chain," comments Rasmus Larsson.

"Set bold goals"

All three agreed that clarity and transparency are essential parameters for establishing credibility for their products. When asked what they had learned from the process and how they would continue to drive the development towards increased sustainability in the industry, Thomas Hörnfeldt emphasized the importance of "setting bold goals."

"We set the goal as early as 2016 to be the first to produce fossil-free steel. This has served as a tremendous driving force within the company and has also made us very attractive as an employer. It creates pride among employees," he says.

Both Viktor Lax and Rasmus Larsson highlighted collaboration as being key to continued success in the field. Given that 20 percent of all total emissions in Sweden come from the construction industry, the development of new products must be accelerated to meet the Paris Agreement goal of halving all emissions by 2030.

"No one will solve the challenges facing the construction industry on their own. We must be open to collaboration," says Viktor Lax.