Webinars

Currently 80% of global GDP is generated in our towns and cities and today 57% of our global population live in those towns and cities. This equates to 4.6bn people from a total current population of 8.1bn. This proportion is expected to increase to 68% by 2050 which will mean 6.7bn people will be living in urban settings from an expected total global population of 9.8bn. As this urban megatrend unfolds different construction thinking is needed in order to accommodate this expected urban population increase without ‘eating up’ agricultural land by expanding our urban footprints. Furthermore, the total lead time for new traditional buildings is already increasing due to a combination of skills shortages, material shortages and supply chain challenges. Additionally, from a health and safety at work perspective traditional manufacturing suffers at least 3 times the number of workplace fatalities compared to the manufacturing sector.

Modular construction offers a compelling opportunity because;

• The building or structural design and manufacturing is simplified and standardized which helps to overcome the current and future skills shortages.
• The assembly and installation is both rapid and is a much safer approach because there are less manual tasks and construction workers will have a much small bill of materials.
• Flexible building use becomes the norm and includes homes, offices, educational establishments and medical centers all deliverable from the same modular units.
• Disassembly and relocation of the modular units is also rapid if needed

The approach offers a significant cost and speed reduction compared to traditional construction methods. For example a total construction lead time of 12 months can be reduced to just 12 weeks or even less.

Modular construction also allows for a rethinking of materials selections decisions which permits an increased use of more resilient materials whilst offering a significant reduction in both life cycle costs and life cycle emissions.

Stainless steels are a highly durable and sustainable family of corrosion resistant materials. For many decades stainless steels have been one of the primary materials of choice in food and drinks processing, chemical process plant, domestic appliances and tableware, healthcare, architectural applications and the mobility sector. The use of stainless steels in the building and infrastructure (B&I) sector is slowly growing but it’s use is still less than 1% of the total annual steel consumption within this sector.

As we have to accommodate the ongoing effects of climate change coupled with replacing degrading structures built 50+ years ago, we need to think about using different materials to ensure our buildings and infrastructure can last with minimal maintenance for more than 125 years. Life-cycle thinking should therefore be at the heart of how we develop our urban settings and wider infrastructure. The selection of resilient and sustainable materials should be part of this thinking process whilst still using our cash wisely.

Stainless steels are one of the ultimate low or zero maintenance materials therefore if you would like to learn more about how reinforcement by selectively using stainless steels can provide us with safe, sustainable and cost-effective structures over the long term.

This webinar has ended.

More than 4% of the GDP of developed countries is attached to the cost of fixing the impact of corrosion. In some extreme cases the impact of corrosion causes installations and structures to fail which can lead to loss of life, major disruption to urban environments, huge costs to fix the failures and significant reputational damage to major organizations. These cases always make the national and international news broadcasts.

During our everyday lives we see corrosion all around us, but do we ever stop and think about why something is corroding. More importantly do we ever think what could happen if the corrosion we observe is not left unchecked or more appropriately prevented?

Interestingly, we actually elect to hide some construction materials that corrode within other materials so we cannot quickly see the developing nature or later impact of corrosion. Furthermore, we actually create environments that cause materials to corrode due to our lack of understanding of what causes corrosion.

If you would like to learn more about corrosion and how to prevent it, please join worldstainless Secretary-General Tim Collins for Chapter 2 of our Understanding Corrosion webinar series.

This webinar has ended. A recording is available here.

The impact of climate change has been progressing for many years now and as a global society we need to act quickly if we are to make appropriate changes to limit the impact of global warming. Much effort is currently aligned to reducing emissions associated with power generation, public & personal mobility and heavy production industries. Whilst this effort is important it is equally important to consider our materials selection decisions for the following primary reason.

Around 75% of the emissions associated with a product or installation occur in the operational or usage phase. Therefore, only around 25% of emissions are associated with materials production, product assembly and installation. Careful consideration of the most suitable and resilient materials for products and installations can lead to a significantly beneficial outcome which not only reduces the emissions associated with the use of a product or operation of an installation, but also reduces life cycle costs and maintenance needs.

In order to overcome the barriers associated with this changed way of thinking we must reset our minds. This means shifting away from compartmentalized thinking to holistic thinking and demands that all major organizations ‘design for generations’ and not for the short term. We just cannot afford to continue using the current amount of virgin consumption we have been used to for decades.

Stainless steels are being increasingly used in construction both for fabricated structures and modular structures. Furthermore, stainless steels are becoming a primary material of choice for internal elements within buildings. The range of stainless steels uses within buildings includes wall cladding, handrails and barriers, doors and walkways. The primary reasons for choosing stainless steels in these applications include hygiene factors, a long service life (>100 years) with zero or minimal maintenance and a low life-cycle costs compared to alternative material choices. Stainless steels also provide an opportunity to both reduce co-materials and design installations with complimentary materials that provide a stylish and timeless appearance.

It is vitally important that appropriate stainless steel fixings and fasteners are always used in conjunction with primary stainless steel components in order to avoid future undesired outcomes which can include;

1. Galvanic corrosion
2. Pitting corrosion
3. Crevice corrosion

In this context ‘appropriate stainless steel fixings’ means products that have an appropriate chemical analysis for the application and suitable mechanical properties to ensure long-term robustness of each installation.

Join expert speaker Tim Collins, worldstainless Secretary-General on to understand more about stainless steel fixings and fasteners in order to design and use stainless steels in structures and installations with confidence.

Whenever we walk on the street, we can easily see benches, bus stops, waste bins, streetlamps, ... In many cases, street furniture is made of plastic, wood, and/or carbon steel. Many street furniture manufacturers and the municipalities who purchase from them tend to believe these are a more cost efficient option than stainless steels. 

This webinar illustrates the true financial and sustainable benefits of stainless steels in street furniture applications using real world examples. In one hour, you will learn the true cost of buying cheap. Join our webinar and learn from two experts in the field why stainless steel urban furniture is a sustainable solution at all times.

UN Sustainable Development Goal 12 says sustainable consumption and production is about doing more and better with less; according to the Zero Waste International Association (zwia.org), Zero Waste is the conservation of all resources by means of responsible production, consumption, reuse, and recovery of products, packaging, and materials without burning, and with no discharges to land, water, or air that threaten the environment or human health.

Choosing stainless steels for an application ensures that it will be produced in a responsible way, with an extremely low life-cycle inventory (also known as the life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions profile). Furthermore, stainless steel products have low, or close to zero, maintenance costs during their long life, and stainless steels can be reused indefinitely because they are easy to recycle without any loss of quality or material integrity.

Find out what is stainless steel … which grade (type of stainless steel) is the right one for you … and which application would serve you best in your personal life... Drinks containers? Food containers? Toiletry containers? Or maybe even all three? These questions will be answered in this Stainless Steel Webinar.

Over the last 100 years the notion of ‘making available to everybody’ a high level of hygiene in their personal environment, in safe food and drinks preparation, in medical services and in public infrastructure has been a big achievement. Stainless steels have played a significant role in this process. The bright and easy-to-clean surfaces make it quite obvious that stainless steel is a material for a healthier life. But what makes stainless steel your partner in hygiene? Discover it in the latest stainless steel webinar.

If the average lifespan of humans was twice what it is today, would we think differently about products we consume and the materials those products are made from? Furthermore, would our lifestyle and professional judgements change if we directly experienced all the legacy impacts of sub-optimal judgements like single use products?

The notion of life-cycle thinking is becoming more and more important in our society. Furthermore, adopting this type of thinking is vital in order to ensure we make the best possible decisions to safeguard the future of our global society and our planet. Many people understand this message, but little has really changed in our day-to-day lives. The notion of using resilient materials in our society has, for many decades, been subliminally overtaken by the single use principle. Outside of healthcare where patient safeguarding is paramount why have we allowed ourselves to be brainwashed into relentlessly adopting single-use and often unrecycled products?

During our next webinar, worldstainless Secretary-General Tim Collins will provide some enlightening thinking and approaches that will encourage people to think from a life-cycle perspective in both their everyday and professional lives. Tim will use real world examples to illustrate why life-cycle thinking is not just important, it is critical to safeguard a fair future for our children and our grandchildren. Therefore, if you are interested in change for the better, please join us at our stimulating and free ‘Life-Cycle Thinking’ webinar.

Stainless steel is critical to the world economy and seen in everyday use. From cutlery and cookware for daily meals, to surgical tools necessary for saving lives, to transportation, architecture, and more.

This steelTalks will give an overview of how stainless steels are produced and the growth potential in applications. The lecture will also differentiate the different types of stainless steel and address how the industry is addressing the sustainability credentials of stainless steel.

Further, the role of the International Stainless Steel Forum in advancing the knowledge and application of stainless steel will be addressed.

This webinar has ended. The video is available from YouTube.

Have you ever wondered what the possibilities with stainless steels in construction are? They are endless… but what is the optimal choice, which type of stainless steel should be used, are stainless steels a sustainable choice, … Become enlightened and join the Marvels of Stainless Steels in Construction webinar.

The way we travel is being transformed. By 2050 the internal combustion engine will probably be a thing of the past, not just for cars, but for all modes of transport. Even the notion of switching away from personal transport to public transport in urban settings is gaining more support. Today, in 2021, more and more buses are electric or hybrid, making public transport an even more environmentally-friendly and sustainable way of getting from one place to another. And what if, these buses could be even more environmentally friendly? Running on a minimal amount of energy, providing a safer transport experience and having a longer life? With stainless steel bus frames, this is not a futuristic option, but one that has been realised already today. This webinar explains why stainless steel is a compelling option for bus frames, by comparing it to other materials, not only for financial costs, but also environmental ones and safety considerations.

37% of the world’s population lives within 100 km of the coast. Climate change will cause major damages to coastlines and low-level land masses, due to the rise of sea water levels and more frequent extreme events. Major investments will be needed to minimise the damage to land, people and economies. A marine environment corrodes steel and most other metals due to the high Chloride content in the sea water. Using stainless steels in critical places in these structures will provide a long-lasting solution.

Our world is changing fast and needs to change fast! Since the use of fossil fuels in vehicles are one of the most significant factors polluting our environment, affecting not only the air we breathe, but also the land and the water we need, solutions must to be found to minimise GHG pollution. Amongst available and developing solutions, green hydrogen is a booming alternative with all the right credentials. Stainless steels will be needed in every step of the production and use of green hydrogen; to produce the hydrogen, to transport and store the hydrogen and in the vehicles that are powered by hydrogen.

Learn about all the options for the use of a fully recyclable, highly corrosion resistant family of materials with cryogenic attributes to effectively support the development of the Hydrogen economy.

Around one third of valuable treated drinking water is lost through leaks in distribution systems. Not only in developing cities, even the capital cities of major economies are losing far more water than is sustainable. In Tokyo, Seoul and Taipei they have installed corrugated stainless steel water service pipes; a system which avoids leaking at joints, reduces the number of joints, prevents residues building up in pipework and resists seismic shocks. Even though the impression might be this must be a high cost option, it is not in the long term. Learn more about this system that can save millions of cubic metres of fresh treated water, reduced overall costs and reduced GHG emissions.

A brochure with more information is available here.

Material decay and corrosion are natural processes. Almost all materials will in one way or another decay over time. The effects of corrosion in our daily lives can be seen both in our households, but also in the infrastructure we use to e.g. travel from home to work or school and in the industrial facilities that produce what we need to have comfortable and healthy lives.

Even materials, which we believe to be resistant to corrosion like stainless steels, do corrode in certain circumstances. To protect materials from corrosion we first have to understand why it occurs after which we can find solutions to avoid it as much as possible.

Avoiding corrosion means we can save costs and in extreme situations even save lives.

There are hundreds of thousands of bridges in the world, including over 600,000 in the USA alone. More and more bridges are being built to increase our connectivity. They provide essential trading links between regions and countries. The costs of ongoing maintenance or/and replacement is huge over time and is becoming an unsustainable approach.

Many Bridges are now in a poor condition. Many of these structures were built after World War II with a projected life of 60 years. Bridge usage has been much heavier than planned and the recent approach of cutting maintenance costs has become commonplace resulting in many undesirable safety outcomes.
Life Cycle Cost (LCC) evaluations using stainless steels in critical components of bridges consistently shows the benefits of providing operation with very little maintenance over a lifetime exceeding a century. Stainless steels offer an extremely attractive way of providing structural integrity over unlimited time, as a direct result of their high strength and durability and their excellent corrosion resistance that resists all climates and weather conditions. Whilst the material acquisition costs of stainless steels are higher than competing materials, the massive reduction in lifetime maintenance costs mean that choosing stainless steels becomes the significantly lower cost option over the service life. Furthermore, the reduction in CO2 emissions by avoiding standing traffic during bridge maintenance regimes is another compelling benefit.
Building bridges using stainless steels means building safe bridges for generations.