M+L signs up to SteelZero initiative
Around 40% of the UK’s emissions can be attributed to its built environment.
As architects, we take our role in reducing these emissions seriously, and so we are making clear commitments.
The most recent of these is to specify 100% “green steel” by 2050 via the SteelZero initiative.
The UK’s primary steel production facilities currently produce 15% of the UK’s industrial greenhouse gas emissions, while emissions associated with specifying steel from Europe (or further afield) are even higher. In construction, eliminating the carbon emissions associated with steel will likely be one of the hardest hurdles in the race to zero.
Moving to a zero-carbon steel sector is “essential to the decarbonisation story of UK industry”, according to the industrial decarbonisation strategy. By supporting The Climate Group, Morrow + Lorraine are the first architectural practice to commit to this transition.
The most widely available technique for making “green steel” is using electric arc furnaces – which are used to produce “secondary steel” from recycled scrap metal – rather than conventional fossil fuel-based blast furnaces.
To help reduce the effects of steel production, we have signed up to the Steel Zero initiative, which will see us specify 50% green steel by 2030, and 100% green steel by 2050. We hope that our enthusiasm for sustainable development will be mirrored by our peers and clients.
For more information on the Steel Zero initiative, and our commitment, please get in touch at sustainability@morrowlorraine.com