Structural Steel Brings Environmental Advantages to Construction

Contact: Scott Melnick
American Institute of Steel Construction
312-670-8314

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 26, 2006

Structural Steel Brings Environmental Advantages to Construction

(Chicago, IL) – Structural steel, long considered the premier green construction material, is continuing to improve its environmentally friendly position by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. While numerous legislative and regulatory efforts have targeted emissions, energy efficiency and related environmental concerns in recent years, the structural steel industry has been proactive in pursuing measures of its own that typically exceed regulatory requirements.

The results of structural steel industry efforts are evident in recent Environmental Protection Agency findings on greenhouse gasses, which show that the iron and steel industry reduced carbon emissions by 37.7 percent between 1990 and 2003. By comparison, initiatives such as the Kyoto Protocol would have required U.S. industries to reduce emissions by 5.2 percent by 2012.

At the same time, the industry remains the world leader in the use of recycled material, with recycled content now accounting for 95 percent of the structural steel produced at U.S. mills for beams and columns. Over the past five years, AISC members have recycled nearly 24.9 million tons of steel, the equivalent of more than 24 million passenger vehicles.

The steel industry has also continually pursued methods for reducing energy consumption, and has reduced energy usage by nearly a third over the past three decades. The industry has also committed to the Climate Vision program, which seeks to reduce energy usage by an additional 10 percent by 2012.

Roger E. Ferch, P.E., president of the American Institute of Steel Construction, notes, “The industry has long maintained a focus on finding better ways to produce, fabricate and erect steel. An important part of this is making sure that structural steel is not only an ideal solution for building purposes, but an environmentally responsible solution as well. Recycled content, gains in energy efficiency and a consistent reduction in emissions show that the industry is committed to continual progress in this area.”

About the American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc.
The American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc., headquartered in Chicago, is a not-for-profit technical institute and trade association established in 1921 to serve the structural steel design community and construction industry. AISC’s mission is to make structural steel the material of choice by being the leader in structural steel-related technical and market-building solutions and activities, including: specification and code development, research, education, technical assistance, quality certification, standardization, and market development. AISC has a long tradition of service to the steel construction industry of providing timely and reliable information.

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