Before we can determine whether stainless steel is a sustainable material, we should first define what we mean by sustainability in relation to what is known as the triple bottomline: People, Planet and Profit.

This report is to look at Life Cycle Costing analysis on stainless steel and on various objects and materials in order to compare their effectiveness in terms of cost and environmental impacts, and was written by the students of the University Paris 1st - Pantheon-Sorbonne - collaborated with ISSF.

Click Name to download.

Life Cycle Costing & Stainless Steel.pdf

Sorbonne Final Report LCC.pdf

Utilising stainless steel to create railcars increases the sustainability profile of the rail industry. Its durability and minimal maintenance requirements make stainless a good choice economically. Energy saving lightweight designs, a high level of recycled content and 100% recyclability at-the-end of life are the cornerstones of stainless steel’s environmental profile. Add the bright contemporary finish of stainless steel and the sustainability profile of the rail industry is further strengthened. Stainless steel in railcars is a good example of how the social, economic and environmental factors of material selection interact to make a technical solution sustainable.

Like any other industry, the stainless steel industry aims to reduce its CO2 emissions. The purpose of this document is to clarify what those emissions are and where they originate.

This document is available in English, 日本語 and 中文. Clicking on the language will open the pdf.

Today, environmental issues are important criteria for material selection. In evaluating the environmental properties of a material, recycling is a key element. Stainless steel is a recycling champion. More information about the recycling of stainless steel is available from this website. You can click on the link below.

Stainless Steel is a highly durable material used in many qualified applications. Like all materials, its production and use affect the environment in many different ways. Assessing the overall environmental impact of products requires an integrated approach that considers the product over its entire life cycle - Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). More information is available from this website. You can use the link below.

Duplex stainless steels are increasingly used as structural materials in building and architecture because of their exceptional mechanical properties. Their room temperature yield strength in the solution annealed condition is more than twice that of standard austenitic stainless steels not alloyed with nitrogen. Over the last few years, they have started playing an increasingly important role in the construction of bridges, wherever specific environmental conditions combine with the need for high load-bearing capability.

Successful desalination requires a material that can resist the aggressive corrosion caused by seawater and brine. Utilising stainless steel to create fresh water further increases the sustainability profile of the desalination industry. The durability and minimal maintenance requirements of stainless make it a good choice economically. The high-level of recycled content and 100% recyclability at the end of its life are the cornerstones of stainless steel’s environmental profile. High performance stainless steels, including duplex grades, are the perfect choice for desalination.

This new brochure from ISSF will give you more detailed information on desalination in stainless steel complemented with some case studies.

Water – the blue gold of the blue planet, used in so many ways: for agriculture, for the processing and preparation of food and beverages, for heating and cooling, for energy generation, and for the production of a wide spectrum of industrial and consumer goods. About 70% of the world’s surface is covered with water, but less than 3% of it is fresh water, making it a very precious commodity. The use of water produces wastewater. Like any other waste products, wastewater is a valuable, sustainable resource and should be treated appropriately.

This new brochure from ISSF will give you more detailed information on where stainless steel is used in sewage treatment plants and why. Operators of WWTPs and the manufacturers of the equipment used in them appreciate stainless steel for a number of reasons. They are very much aware of its technical and economical advantages. Some of their testimonies have also been included in this brochure.

Stainless steel plays a key role in a new generation of adsorption chillers, the heart of environmentally friendly cooling equipment. A significant percentage of the energy consumed in our industrialised societies is used to keep rooms within a specific temperature range. Cooling accounts for much larger a percentage of global energy consumption than heating. Much of the energy used for cooling is consumed by air conditioning of homes and offices in summer and in hot climates; and by the many commercial and industrial processes – such as food handling – that depend on a controlled level of temperature. Conventional cooling systems utilise a compressor, which is usually electrically driven and hence energy-intensive to operate.