Interest in Steel?

[Jim W]

I've been quietly observing for a while, more to learn than to communicate. But, in my day job, I'm a communicator for the Steel Recycling Institute. I handle recycling, environmental and sustainability issues for our industry.

In a brief email conversation with Jeff, he indicated that it might be interesting to see a metals area. Given my background, I'd tend to agree, but I wanted to see if you all felt the same way.

A fair amount of the information that I'd be synthesizing is already present on our Sustainability Site and our Steel Recycling Site. But, it's not always targeted towards purchasing habits--although it's easy to extrapolate.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and I'll move forward accordingly.

[Jeff]

Okay, I'll get the ball rolling -- in what types of applications can a business cost-effectively and sustainably shift to steel from another material they're currently using (and why should they)?

Jeff

[Jim W]

One of the most recent examples of looking at material choice (and processing) from a sustainable perspective would be the Truitt Brothers, who commissioned a study on sustainability on their food packaging processes. I've included a highlight of this case history below:

A LIFE CYCLE ANALYSIS OF GREEN BEAN CANNING PROCESS
Food Alliance-certified Processor Takes Another Step Toward
Sustainability to Deliver a Greener Green Bean

In an ongoing commitment to the establishment of best environmental, economic and social practices, Truitt Bros., Inc. – the nation’s first Food Alliance-certified processor – released the first life cycle analysis of its canning process.

In an attempt to delve deeper into its manufacturing processes, ferret out energy drains and see how canning holds up to other modes of preservation, Truitt Bros., Inc. engaged the services of The Institute for Environmental Research and Education (IERE) in Vashon, Wash. The organization authored the report "Canning Green Beans: Ecoprofile of Truitt Brothers Canning Process," which used a calculated and relative clean freezing process for comparison with the actual Truitt Bros. canning process. The analysis found that greenhouse gases from canning were 39 percent less compared to freezing; acidification was 70 percent less for canning and criteria air pollutants stood at 59 percent less for canning when compared with freezing.

"Commissioning this study is one part of our concerted efforts to track and limit energy consumption," said Peter Truitt, co-owner of Truitt Bros., Inc. "We will continue to challenge ourselves, our processes and our farmers to up the ante when it comes to sustainable practices."

The analysis, a side-by-side comparison of four-ounce servings of canned and frozen green
beans, examined electricity and water demand, can and packaging production, transport, and product preparation, while assessing the impacts on global warming, acidification, human health, ozone depletion, ecotoxicity, water use, smog and fossil fuel depletion, among other factors. Time and again canning came out on top, outpacing freezing, which has high energy demands during its storage phase as compared to cans, which can be simply shipped and stored at any temperature. This report echoes findings from the Steel Recycling Institute, whose study, commissioned by Scientific Certification Systems, found that canning food uses less energy than freezing food.

Report authors suggested opportunities for continued improvement in energy reduction for Truitt Bros., Inc. These steps include using recycled steel in its cans, which would decrease greenhouse gas emissions by 10-15 percent, and transitioning to lighter weight packaging. For long-term energy efficiency improvements, study authors suggest a redesign of the bean processing line to further reduce water and energy consumption. The full study can be viewed at http://iere.org/documents/Canning-Beans/Ecoprofile.pdf