Swedish Collaboration Pioneers Sustainable Construction with Fossil-Free Steel Building

Swedish Collaboration Pioneers Sustainable Construction with Fossil-Free Steel Building

(IN BRIEF) Peab, SSAB, Ruukki Construction, and Wihlborgs have unveiled the world’s first building constructed entirely with fossil-free steel in Lund, Sweden. The industrial facility named “Tomaten 1” represents a significant milestone in reducing the carbon footprint of the construction industry. It covers 6,000 square meters and showcases a collaboration between these companies, with Ruukki Construction designing and producing wall and roof structures using fossil-free steel from SSAB. This achievement marks a major step toward industry-wide sustainability goals and climate neutrality, with SSAB’s HYBRIT technology set to further reduce carbon emissions in steel production. Swedish Minister for Climate and the Environment, Romina Pourmokhtari, visited the project, highlighting its significance in the country’s sustainability efforts.

(PRESS RELEASE) STOCKHOLM, 8-Nov-2023 — /EuropaWire/ — SSAB (STO: SSAB-A), a Nordic and US-based steel company, in partnership with Peab, Ruukki Construction, and property company Wihlborgs, proudly presents a groundbreaking achievement in sustainable construction – the world’s inaugural building constructed entirely with fossil-free steel. This pioneering project, named “Tomaten 1,” located in Hasslanda, Lund, marks a significant milestone in reducing the carbon footprint of the construction industry.

The 6,000-square-meter industrial facility, Tomaten 1, showcases the innovative collaboration between Peab, SSAB, and Ruukki Construction. Ruukki Construction played a pivotal role in designing and manufacturing the building’s wall and roof structures, incorporating fossil-free steel from SSAB. The esteemed property owner, Wihlborgs, spearheaded the project with Inpac, a contract manufacturer, as the future tenant.

Jesper Göransson, CEO of Peab, expressed his pride in this historic shift within the industry, stating, “We’re extremely proud to be part of a historic shift for our industry. The building is a starting point for work to reduce the climate impact in the steel industry on a broad front. It’s a real community building project and, together with Ruukki and SSAB, Peab is now further strengthening itself to meet its customers’ growing demands for more sustainable material choices,”

Christina Friborg, Head of Sustainability at SSAB, emphasized the significance of this endeavor, saying, “It’s amazing to see what great steps forward can be taken with sustainable development when it’s done together with others – the project with Peab and Ruukki shows what is actually possible right now. For SSAB, it’s not just about reducing our own emissions with fossil-free steel, but also about contributing to reducing the carbon footprint in other parts of the value chain,”

Sami Eronen, President of Ruukki Construction, highlighted their commitment to revolutionizing construction sustainably, stating, “This project is an excellent example of how going forward we can revolutionize construction together with our customers. We’re proud to be involved in driving the construction industry forward with our products that are not only made with fossil-free steel, but also developed with sustainability and the entire life cycle impact of the product in mind,”

Ulrika Hallengren, CEO of Wihlborgs, acknowledged the industry’s goal of climate neutrality by 2045 and the role this project plays in achieving it: “We can only achieve the industry’s goal of climate neutrality if we collaborate and together develop products and buildings that make a real difference. This project is an important step in this direction, and as the customer we have a major responsibility to constantly raise the level of our own requirements, so that the entire chain is characterized by high sustainability ambitions,”

The construction and civil engineering industry’s commitment to reaching climate neutrality by 2045 necessitates the use of low-carbon impact materials and products. SSAB’s HYBRIT technology, set to hit the market in 2026, will empower companies in the construction sector to significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions in steel production. This groundbreaking technology employs hydrogen and fossil-free electricity to directly reduce iron ore, eliminating the need for coal and coke, resulting in water as a byproduct instead of carbon dioxide.

Peab, through its partnership with SSAB, and Ruukki Construction, as a subsidiary of SSAB, have secured access to fossil-free steel and intend to utilize it in future projects starting from 2026. This innovative steel will foster long-term sustainable growth within the sector and play a pivotal role in Sweden’s overall climate transition.

The construction and real estate sectors collectively contribute to approximately one-fifth of Sweden’s domestic carbon dioxide emissions, with material and product manufacturing accounting for a substantial portion of the climate impact. The development of the world’s first building using fossil-free steel signifies a groundbreaking milestone for the entire industry.

On Wednesday, Swedish Minister for Climate and the Environment, Romina Pourmokhtari (Liberal), will visit the project in Lund, where leading representatives from Peab, Wihlborgs, Ruukki Construction, and SSAB will be present at the press conference. The media has also been extended an invitation to witness this historic achievement in sustainable construction.

Additional information is available at
https://peab.se/losningar/minskad-klimatpaverkan/varldens-forsta-byggnad-med-fossilfritt-stal/

About Peab

Peab is the Nordic community builder with 15,000 employees and turnover of SEK 60 billion. The head office is located in Förslöv on the Bjäre peninsula in Skåne. The share is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. www.peab.se

About Wihlborgs

Wihlborgs owns, manages and develops commercial properties with a real estate value of SEK 56 billion in the Öresund region. The company employs more than 200 people and the share is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. www.wihlborgs.se

About Ruukki

Ruukki Construction is part of SSAB and a supplier of steel-based building products and services for roofs and walls for sustainable buildings. The company has 1,500 employees and a presence in 10 European countries. www.ruukki.com

For media interviews and further information, as well as press photos, please contact:
Peab press contact: Katarina Hugo, Press Officer +46 10 456 86 00 pressjour@peab.se

Wihlborgs press contact: Ulrika Hallengren, CEO of Wihlborgs +46 40 690 57 95
SSAB press contact: Anna Molin, Press Officer +46 76 110 46 76 anna.molin@ssab.com
Ruukki press contact: Kristiina Sikiö, Head of Communications +358 50 354 1296.

SOURCE: SSAB