• Delivery of larger quantities of strongly CO₂-reduced stainless steel intended from 2023 onward
• Significant expansion of sustainable product portfolio
• Introduction of categorizations for CO₂-reduced stainless steel and aluminum

Duisburg, Germany / Helsinki, Finland, December 07, 2022 – Klöckner & Co has received the first coil made of CO₂-minimized stainless steel from Outokumpu, the global leader in sustainable stainless steel. Outokumpu’s new Circle Green product is stainless steel with 92% lower CO₂ emissions than the industry average and therefore classified in the best category (Prime) in Klöckner & Co's new categorization for stainless steel. The Collaboration with Outokumpu enables Klöckner & Co to significantly expand its sustainable range of Nexigen^® products and services.

Guido Kerkhoff, CEO of Klöckner & Co SE: “After securing significant quantities of CO₂-reduced steel at an early stage, we are now also committed to increasing the availability of other CO₂-reduced metals for our customers – Outokumpu's first CO₂-minimized stainless steel coil is another important step in the right direction for our company. With it, we enable even more of our customers to already build sustainable value chains today and strengthen our position as a pioneer of sustainability.”

Heikki Malinen, President and CEO of Outokumpu: “We want to help our customers and partners to develop solutions that reduce climate burden by means of the right material choices. As the global leader in the sustainable stainless steel sector, we are pleased to cooperate with Klöckner & Co, one of the largest producer-independent distributors of steel and metal products. Both companies are united by our strong aspirations for a sustainable metal sector, which we are once again getting closer to with our collaboration. Partnering around sustainability offers the possibility to cut emissions and support companies to reach their climate targets.”

From 2023 onward, Klöckner & Co and Outokumpu intend to supply larger quantities of CO₂-minimized stainless steel. The processing will be provided by Klöckner & Co’s German subsidiary Becker Stainless, among others. Outokumpu will be able to supply CO₂-minimized stainless steel in various categories of the new categorization developed by Klöckner & Co.

With the new categorizations for CO₂-reduced stainless steel and aluminum under the Nexigen^® umbrella, customers can directly identify the carbon footprint of products purchased from Klöckner & Co. The scales are rooted in international standards and classify low-carbon stainless steel and aluminum in six material-specific categories, each according to the complete CO₂ emissions from raw material extraction to production. The company thus offers its customers a simple way to reliably assess and compare the carbon footprint quality of sourced material.

Outokumpu has ambitious targets in terms of sustainability and is further shaping the stainless steel market by setting a new benchmark with its Circle Green product line, launched in June 2022. The Circle Green production was first of its kind globally, as no other stainless steel manufacturer has been able to produce stainless steel with such low emission levels – reflecting all the climate emissions from raw material extraction through the whole production chain. Outokumpu is proud to be placed in Klöckner’s ‘Prime’ category of Nexigen^®. Circle Green is available today and will contribute to further decarbonize the industry sector.

About Klöckner & Co:

Klöckner & Co is one of the largest producer-independent distributors of steel and metal products and one of the leading steel service companies worldwide. Based on its distribution and service network of around 140 locations in 13 countries, Klöckner & Co supplies more than 100,000 customers. Currently, the Group has around 7,200 employees. Klöckner & Co had sales of some €7.4 billion in fiscal year 2021. By expanding its portfolio of CO₂-reduced materials, services and logistics under the new umbrella brand Nexigen^®, the company is underlining its ambition as a pioneer of a sustainable steel industry. At the same time, as a pioneer of the digital transformation in the steel industry, Klöckner & Co has set the goal of digitalizing and largely automating its supply and service chain. This way, the company aims to become the leading digital one-stop shop platform for steel, other materials, equipment and processing services in Europe and America. 

The shares of Klöckner & Co SE are admitted to trading on the regulated market segment (Regulierter Markt) of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (Frankfurter Wertpapierbörse) with further post-admission obligations (Prime Standard). Klöckner & Co shares are listed in the SDAX^® index of Deutsche Börse.

ISIN: DE000KC01000; WKN: KC0100; Common Code: 025808576.

Klöckner & Co SE contact:

Press
Christian Pokropp – Press Spokesperson
Head of Corporate Communications |
Head of Group HR
Phone: +49 203 307-2050
Email: [email protected]

Investors
Felix Schmitz
Head of Investor Relations |
Head of Strategic Sustainability
Phone: +49 203 307-2295
Email: [email protected]

About Outokumpu:

Outokumpu is the global leader in stainless steel. The foundation of our business is our ability to tailor stainless steel into any form and for almost any purpose.

Stainless steel is sustainable, durable and designed to last forever. Our customers use it to create civilization’s basic structures and its most famous landmarks as well as products for households and various industries.

Outokumpu employs approximately 9,000 professionals in more than 30 countries, with headquarters in Helsinki, Finland and shares listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.

Outokumpu contact:

Päivi Allenius
VP – Communications & Brand
Phone: +358 40 753 7374
Outokumpu media desk, tel. +358 40 351 9840, e-mail [email protected]