Green Steel

In 2021, we committed to reducing our carbon emissions by 50% by 2030. We immediately started by switching to renewable energy for our electricity supply having already installed solar panels at our facility in Scotland in 2017. For Scope 3 emissions, which come from the products and services we purchase, the main contributor is the steel used in our bandsaws. We only use high-quality steel from Bohler or Uddeholm, supplied by Voestalpine. Three years ago, there were no reduced carbon options available in the world for bandsaw steel.

However, with the support of Voestalpine, we have achieved a major step forward. Commencing July 2024, you will start noticing a new logo on the  bandsaws supplied by us.  The ‘CO₂-‘ logo denotes this steel has a reduced carbon footprint and is part of EPS’ commitment to reducing carbon emissions. The steel is still produced by Voestalpine, branded either Uddeholm or Bohler, but from furnaces powered by sustainable hydro-electricity.

The bottom line is, nothing is different about the steel while the price of your blade hasn’t increased either. There’s no compromise on quality, it’s the same Bohler or Uddeholm brand you know and trust but what has changed is the carbon footprint of the blade.

Approximately 5% of the CO₂ produced in the EU is from Steel Production (source). The use of Natural Gas or Coal powered blast furnaces is common place. Moving to electric arc furnaces and using 100% renewable sourced electricity means the CO₂ is reduced from 2600kg to 600kg per 1 ton of steel produced. This represents a reduction by 77% in the amount of carbon generated in the production of bandsaw steel.

Blast furnace running on fossil fuels (source)	Electric arc furnace running on hydro-electric power (source)

20% of the stock we now hold is Green Steel. This will rise to 50% by the end of March 2025 and by the end of 2025, all of the steel we hold in stock will be Green. Our most popular sizes will move to Green Steel first, but this exciting development means that by 2026 all of the new bandsaws that we produce will have significantly lower carbon emissions.

Green Steel is a major part of EPS’ Net Zero Pledge – to reduce carbon emissions to 50% by 2030 and to achieve Net Zero by 2050. Once the transition to Green Steel is complete, we will be well on course to achieving our goals.

View our Frequently Asked Questions about Green Steel for more information