A male Stena Stål employee in hi-vis protective gear, standing beside steel beams, with a measurement device in one hand.

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98 percent lower climate impact with reuse

Working at Stena Metall

Stena Stål

Constructing climate-neutral buildings is of great interest both in the construction and real estate industry. By reusing materials instead of producing new ones, the climate impact can be significantly reduced. Christoffer Muhl Pollari is a business developer at Stena Stål. He has established a business process where steel beams from demolition projects can be reused in new constructions.

“Producing one ton of steel from iron ore, for example, emits about three tons of carbon dioxide, so it has a huge impact on the climate. If we instead reuse the steel beams that already exist, we can reduce carbon dioxide emissions to 35 kg per ton, a reduction of up to 98 percent,” says Christoffer Muhl Pollari.

There are standardized processes to ensure the quality of newly produced steel beams. In 2021, a new industry standard for the reuse of steel beams was introduced.

“This gave us the opportunity to develop a method for the reuse and quality assurance of steel beams for load-bearing structures,” says Christoffer Muhl Pollari.

A crane is fixed to the facade of a skyscraper, using steel beams.

Stena Stål has delivered steel beams to the construction of Karlatornet in Gothenburg, Sweden. The beams stabilize the cranes on the building façade.

Stena Stål is part of the Stena Metall Group, which also includes Stena Recycling.

“Since we are part of the same group, we can make early contact with construction companies that are customers of Stena Recycling and have contracts for demolition. We make a reuse inventory of the building before it is demolished. After demolition, the steel beams that we believe can be reused are sent for quality control.”

Quality control is first carried out at Stena Stål, in the form of hardness measurements. The softest steel beam in the control group is sent to a laboratory where tests are carried out by an independent party. Once the quality of the steel beams is tested and approved, they are ready to be reused by a construction company.

“We have, for example, delivered steel beams to the construction of Karlatornet in Gothenburg, a property that will be the tallest building in the Nordic region. The beams stabilize the cranes on the building facade. When Karlatornet is completed, we will buy back the beams for further reuse in a new construction.”

City skyline in the background, with a tower as the tallest building. The outline of a cliff in the foreground.

Karlatornet in Gothenburg, Sweden will be the tallest building in the Nordic region.

Established reuse as a new business area

Once the new industry standard was in place, Christoffer Muhl Pollari saw the opportunity to build the business around reuse. He developed the entire flow from demolition to delivery of beams for reuse to the end customer.

“I had worked for a short time at Stena Stål, but thanks to my knowledge and interest in quality, I was entrusted with building the reuse business from scratch. Delegated business acumen is a central part of Stena's corporate culture. Here you create the opportunities yourself, you don't get them served. It’s very stimulating,” says Christoffer Muhl Pollari.

He sees great growth potential for the reuse of steel beams.

“There is a huge demand, both from construction companies and real estate companies, to build housing with a low climate impact. This is one of the most satisfying aspects of my job, that I contribute to reducing carbon dioxide emissions for every new deal we do.”