Environment and Energy

A Record of Success:

• Greenhouse Gas Emissions reduced by 16% since 1990
• Greenhouse Gas Emission Intensity (per ton) reduced by 24% since 1990
• Energy Efficiency improved by 26% since year 1990
• CSPA members benchmarked at Best Available Technology worldwide
• Contributing to Cleaner Air (per Ontario regulations):
  
  • Benzene Emissions reduced by 75%
  • NO_x Emissions reduced by 31%
  • SO₂ Emissions reduced by 76%
    
• Recycling Rate of 53% - over 8.1 million metric tons of scrap recycled in 2006
• Steel is the most recycled material in the world

(all data to 2006)

Steel: It’s greener than you think

Steel companies are an important presence in many communities across Canada. We recognize that we have an environmental and community obligation to ensure that all Canadians continue to benefit from world-class steel production in this country.

Sustaining the Canadian industry means more than just commercial success.

To us, environmental responsibility and economic performance are mutually supporting imperatives.

Canada’s steel companies have acted aggressively to constantly improve our environmental record.

We have significantly reduced energy use, greenhouse gases and pollutants.

CSPA companies are committed to further improvement through the use of the best available technologies that are economically achievable.

The CSPA is also partnering with the federal and provincial governments, as well as internationally, to develop longer-term technology breakthroughs to achieve major environmental benefits in the steel production process.

Action on Climate Change

Canada’s steel producers have demonstrated leadership on Climate Change.

Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions for iron and steel production have been substantially reduced since 1990, and CSPA members are active participants in global efforts to generate and commercialize technologies for even more substantial future reductions.

Steel production remains a large-scale and complex business, and changes to facilities simply can’t happen overnight.

This is why a long-term commitment to progress is critical to maintaining the momentum.

The first step is ensuring our companies are globally competitive in the technology that they use.

The industry’s record of action led to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the CSPA and the Federal and Ontario governments in January 2005.

The MOU:

• Commits CSPA members to progress on climate change to and beyond 2012;
• Recognizes the fundamental importance of competitiveness in ensuring sustainable progress;
• Creates the opportunity for Government to participate in international research efforts to develop new technologies with the promise of substantial emission reductions.

A copy of the MOU is available here.

Energy Efficiency

Benchmarking Energy Intensity in the Canadian Steel Industry is now available. Click here for the report.

We are proud that Canada’s steel companies have been indpendently benchmarked as performing at a high rate of implementation of “Best Available Technology Economically Achievable” (BATEA).

This is a critical concept for the CSPA as it captures not just world-class technology, but the competitiveness pressures of a highly capital-intensive industry operating in one of the most open and competitive steel markets in the world.

Sustainability

New Environmental performance goals are being set for the future.

The CSPA is working with the federal and provincial governments in establishing a current set of Sustainability Indicators to better track our performance and identify opportunities for improvements.

This initiative will build on the CSPA’s Statement of Commitment and Action for Environmental Protection. The Statement’s objectives were completed in 2003.

Internationally, Canadian steel companies also participate in the sustainability criteria program of the International Iron and Steel Institute (IISI).

CSPA members operate on the basis of a series of Canada-wide standards for identified priority substances that have been developed under the auspices of the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME).

Partnering with Environment Canada has resulted in the establishment of Codes of Practice for both integrated and non-integrated steel mills.

The Codes identify environmental performance standards for new facilities as well as performance goals for existing facilities.

Environmental Best Practices Manuals have also been prepared for several substances and specific steelmaking processes.

As governments in Canada and around the world continue to introduce more exacting standards of environmental performance for large industry, Canada's steel industry is committed to a high standard of performance that will meet even stronger standards in a manner that supports both environmental and economic sustainability.

Mercury Pollution Prevention

Since 2008, CSPA and the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association are jointly supporting a national program called “Switch Out” to remove mercury from the steel scrap stream.  Operated by Summerhill Impact (formerly Clean Air Foundation), Switch Out works directly with automotive recyclers and dismantlers for the removal, collection, and management of mercury-containing switches and ABS sensor modules from end-of-life vehicles (ELVs).  The ELVs are then flattened, shredded and recycled into new steel.  The program also provides training materials and educational resources to recyclers and dismantlers.  For additional information about Switch Out, please visit http://www.switchout.ca/.

Switch Out has completed its second year of operations.  Thanks to the participation of recyclers and dismantlers across Canada, Switch Out collected 112,167 mercury switches in 2009.

Table 1 summarizes the collection results for 2008 and 2009.

Table 1: Switch Out Program Results

^a The anticipated number of mercury switches available for collection is based upon a similar model utilized in the U.S.-based National Vehicle Mercury Switch Recovery Program.  Details of the U.S. model are available at: http://www.elvsolutions.org/model.html.

^b Effectiveness rate is defined as one (1) minus the ratio of the number of accessible mercury switches annually managed from end-of-life vehicles that are dismantled, recycled, shredded or crushed by vehicle recyclers.  The effectiveness rate increases as more switches are collected.