The Paris Agreement and How it Affects Stainless Steel
The modern need for a regular source of power, and the products and services that power enables, is at an unprecedented level while the need to protect our environment is becoming more urgent too. Finding the right balance between these two often diametrically opposed drives is an extremely difficult proposition and it is an ongoing process, the direction of which is constantly changing in response to new political and technological situations.
As power generation, transport, construction and more are required by everyone, the industry is involved with countless others and any changes to it will necessarily result in changes to a wide variety of aspects and situations. One of the things it is currently affecting, and what we concern ourselves with here, is the stainless steel industry which is susceptible to many outside influences.
Perhaps a little belatedly, world governments are beginning to impose new laws and regulations designed to reduce human impact on the environment, one of which is the Paris Agreement intended to reduce pollution. Stainless steel production has, in the past in some areas, been an extremely polluting industry and the watchful of an environmentally-conscious government in China has turned to older mills, seeking to remove them and thus lower pollution levels.
As mills that do not meet the new standards close down and other mills are forced to invest in expensive remodelling and processes, the effect will be a reduction in the amount of stainless steel produced globally, albeit only a temporary one. There are bound to be production delays as the mills are restructured or removed for new mills to take their place, leading to a shortfall in supply and the attendant rise in the price of stainless steel.
Once again, we would like to inform our customers that we will always be among the most competitive suppliers of stainless steel, in all its forms, on the world stage and small price changes will not be passed on to you. Its worth remembering with stainless steel being 100% recyclable and very long lasting it really is the green solution. As the world moves towards being a cleaner, greener space, we will remain, as always, your partner for stainless steel.