Swiss Steel Group, a leading producer of steel using electric arc furnaces (EAF), emphasises the importance of precise data in sustainable steel production. With more than 2.2 million tonnes of scrap processed each year, the company is not only one of the largest recycling companies in Europe, but also a leader in the production of green steel made from recycled material.

Electric arc furnaces produce steel using electricity and recycled ferrous scrap; compared to the conventional blast furnace route, emissions are much lower. An EAF full scrap charge approach slashes emissions to a mere 0.68 tons per ton of steel, compared to approximately 2.33 tons of carbon dioxide for every ton of steel produced via blast furnaces.

However, the use of precisely pre-sorted scrap is crucial for energy-efficient and low-CO₂ steel production in the EAF. The better the quality of the scrap, the higher the quality of the steel produced from it. Precise data on the composition of the scrap is essential for this.

New scrap, unmixed scrap material from metal processing, makes it possible to control the composition of the new steel to the exact gram and thus produce high-quality products.

Steel is the most recycled material in the world. Scrap has developed from a waste product into a sought-after and expensive raw material. With its locally based steelworks, the Swiss Steel Group plays a decisive role in establishing regional circular economies. In Germany, France and Switzerland, most of the scrap for the Swiss Steel Group's plants comes from within a radius of 90 to 100 kilometers, which minimises the environmental impact of transport.

In the past, scrap dealers were mainly negotiated on price. Today, they are fully integrated system partners who are paid for quality and punctuality. Scrap quality is continuously improved using a five-stage process maturity model. In a joint project with scrap suppliers and several universities, the Swiss Steel Group is working on the development of a digital twin of the incoming scrap.

This big data project enables the steelworks to recognize the exact type of scrap delivered in advance. This leads to more efficient delivery, production and ultimately to higher steel quality.