worldstainless and Sustainability

Sustainable Stainless Charter of the world stainless steel industry

The members of the world stainless association adhere to the following principles on sustainability:

• We operate our business efficiently and in a financially sustainable way, to supply stainless steel products and solutions that satisfy customer’s needs and provide value to stakeholders
• We strive to optimise the eco-efficiency of products throughout their life cycle. We promote the recovery, reuse and recycling of stainless steel.
• We foster the well-being of employees and provide a safe and healthy working environment
• We promote values and initiatives that show respect for the people and communities associated with our business
• We conduct our business with high ethical standards in our dealings with employees, customers, suppliers and the community.
• We engage our stakeholders and independent third parties in constructive dialogue to help fulfil our sustainable development commitments.
• We build and share our knowledge of sustainability through open and active communications. We help others in the supply chain to implement sustainable practices.

Published 21 November 2019

Safety and Sustainability Awards

Every year the association awards members for good practices and novel ideas in the areas of safety and sustainability.

Safety Award 2025

For the Safety award, the Gold Award went to POSCO for Smart Fire Monitoring System. The implementation of the system has significantly improved early fire detection and extinguishing in the Coil Grinding Line, raising the early extinguishing rate to 71%. This advancement has enhanced workplace safety, minimized equipment damage, and improved employee satisfaction, resulting in a high return on investment. Frequent fires are caused by mist from grinding oil used to cool the stainless strip, which not only ignites easily but also contaminates auxiliary equipment. Over two years of operation, the system successfully enabled early intervention in 5 out of 7 incidents, including challenging cases involving enclosed equipment where camera installation was not feasible. These results highlight the critical importance of rapid fire detection and immediate response.

Acerinox was the winner of the Silver Award, for their New developments in Psychosocial management for a steel plant. The Bronze Award went to North American Stainless for their Caster Area Stopper Arm.

Sustainability Award 2025

In the Sustainability Category, the Gold Award went to Nippon Steel Corporation for the Application of duplex stainless steel to the cargo hold of general cargo ship Toshinmaru. In this case study, duplex stainless steel and stainless steel clad plates, consisting of duplex stainless and carbon steel, were adopted for the cargo holds of general cargo ships to reduce maintenance burden, improve corrosion resistance, wear resistance, and life cycle cost. In Japan, coastal shipping plays a critical role. However, cargo holds made of carbon steel with anti-rust coatings face frequent wear and rust from diverse cargo, requiring regular repairs and large-scale maintenance to address aging-related deterioration. By eliminating coatings and employing stainless steel materials such as SUS304 and duplex stainless, this approach aims to reduce environmental impact, enhance durability, and support the long-term sustainability of coastal shipping, while also offering high price stability and creating new demand for stainless steel plates.

The Silver Award in this category was for Acerinox for the Decanting and recovery plant for industrial oils. The Bronze Award went to Nippon Yakin for their Environmental Improvement and Efficiency Enhancement in Slab Penetrant Testing Work.

While a lot of case studies were received, worldstainless would like to show the gratitude for joining our Awards and congratulate the winners and all member companies that have sent case studies. The winning case studies can be downloaded here.

For the entries of previous years, please click on the year: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024