The materials wasted during construction, operation, and decommissioning constitutes a negative impact. In general, we see two complementary pathways to address waste generation that we must work on simultaneously. Firstly, we must consider if our waste generation can be avoided in the first place, by addressing the challenges at their root cause. This is done as we work to design our assets with minimal reliance on the use of a specific material, for example by switching non-recyclable content with more recyclable content to allow for proper waste treatment. At the same time, we need to ensure that waste is diverted from disposal by enhancing sorting and collection processes as well as supporting the maturation of reuse and recycling markets for our components and materials.

Steel produced via electric arc furnaces (EAFs), which use scrap steel as feedstock, significantly lowers the need for virgin iron ore compared to traditional blast furnace-basic oxygen furnace (BF-BOF) methods that rely heavily on it. Even though recycled content is widely used in steel production, low-emissions steel still has a limited market availability. Closing this gap is key to cutting emissions, reducing reliance on virgin materials, and advancing a more circular steel industry. Thus, our focus is on sourcing lower-emissions steel, as it represents the most impactful opportunity to drive meaningful progress in reducing the environmental footprint of steel production.