Outokumpu Circle Green®

NEWS | 24.03.2025

Outokumpu Circle Green®: Sustainable stainless steel sheets available from our warehouse

We are expanding our range with the Circle Green® product line from Outokumpu, the stainless steel with the lowest carbon footprint on the market worldwide. From the beginning of May, this high-quality product for sustainable applications will be available directly from stock in Switzerland for the first time. This means we are offering companies in the sheet metal processing, stamping & forming technology, kitchen construction, and apparatus and metal construction sectors a new opportunity to achieve their sustainability goals – without compromising on material quality.

Welcome to industrial evolution

For a decade, companies had to choose between stainless steel and sustainability. This has now come to an end: Outokumpu Circle Green® offers 100% stainless steel with only 7% of the regular carbon footprint.

If all the stainless steel worldwide were produced to this standard, global CO₂ emissions could be reduced by up to 364 million tonnes per year, which would make a significant contribution to decarbonising the industry.

The most sustainable stainless steel in the world

Outokumpu Circle Green® sets new standards in the stainless steel industry:

Up to 93% fewer CO₂ emissions compared to conventionally manufactured stainless steel
100% recyclable with a best-in-class environmental footprint
Only 0.5 kg CO₂ per kg of stainless steel (global average: 7 kg CO₂/kg)*
TÜV-certified CO₂ reduction that helps companies meet ESG criteria
High material quality: durable, corrosion-resistant and optimally workable

A milestone for sustainability

By using 100% renewable energy and optimising production processes, 95% of all Scope 1 and 2 emissions have been eliminated. For example, Outokumpu uses biogas instead of natural gas and relies on state-of-the-art electric furnace technology with low-carbon energy to further reduce energy consumption. In addition, Outokumpu Circle Green® is made from up to 100% recycled material, which drastically reduces the need for primary raw materials. In addition, Outokumpu is continuously optimising its processes along the entire value chain to further improve sustainability.

Renewable energy

100% recycled material

Optimized production processes

Available from stock from early May

For the first time, Outokumpu Circle Green® is available from our warehouse in Switzerland. We offer the 4N (wet grinded) surface in various formats, which means the material is immediately available without long waiting times. Our customers benefit from flexible quantities – starting from a single sheet.

Sheets available from stock

Material: 1.4301/1.4307
Sheets ground on one side 4N, one side with Novacel 4228 REF film
Various formats from 2000 x 1000 x 1.5 mm to 4000 x 1500 x 2 mm

Material	Surface	Format	Thickness
1.4301/1.4307	4N	2500 x 1250 mm 3000 x 1250 mm 3000 x 1500 mm 4000 x 1500 mm	1 mm
1.4301/1.4307	4N	2000 x 1000 mm 2500 x 1250 mm 3000 x 1000 mm 3000 x 1250 mm 3000 x 1500 mm 4000 x 1000 mm 4000 x 1250 mm 4000 x 1500 mm	1.5 mm
1.4301/1.4307	4N	3000 x 1500 mm 4000 x 1500 mm	2 mm

Sheets available from the Service Center

We are already able to offer the following alloys from the Outokumpu Service Center.

Material	Surface	Width	Thickness
1.4301/1.4307	2B, dry ground	1500 mm	1 mm 1.5 mm 2 mm 3 mm 4 mm 5 mm 6 mm
1.4404	2B, dry ground	1500 mm	2 mm 3 mm 4 mm
1.4509	2B, dry ground	1500 mm	1.5 mm 2 mm

New production

We can offer additional alloys from new production, in the form of sheet metal, coils or slit strip.

To the range from new production

Future-oriented stainless steel solution

Outokumpu Circle Green® is particularly suitable for companies that want to reduce their Scope 3 emissions and focus on sustainable procurement over the long term. The combination of the highest quality and maximum CO₂ reduction makes this stainless steel an innovative solution for future-oriented businesses.

*Circle Green: Source Outokumpu
Global average CO₂ emissions (2023): 7 kg CO₂ per kg stainless steel (calculated by Outokumpu based on data from CRU, worldstainless and Kobolde & Partners AB). CO₂ emissions from Outokumpu Circle Green: only 0.5 kg CO₂ per kg stainless steel.

The calculations are based on the following four studies (2023): 304 Stainless Steel Carbon Footprint Comparison EU, Indonesia and China (2022), CRU Nickel Market Outlook Data (2022), “The Global Life Cycle of Stainless Steels” (2019) and ISSF Stainless Steel and CO2 (2022).