Hyundai Steel, Industry's First Rod-Shaped Steel GR Certification Obtained

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] Hyundai Steel has newly acquired the GR (Good Recycling Product) certification for shaped steel and rebar products from the National Institute of Technology and Standards (NITS) under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, becoming the first in the steel industry to do so.

Hyundai Steel produces more than 10 million tons annually of shaped steel and rebar products using steel scrap, which would otherwise become waste if not recycled through electric furnaces, as the main raw material. Steel scrap is environmentally friendly compared to other steelmaking raw materials such as iron ore and coal, as it emits relatively lower CO2 and waste. Hyundai Steel received the GR certification and was awarded the certificate on the 4th in recognition of its eco-friendliness by producing products through recycling steel scrap.

As the largest and first electric furnace steelmaker in Korea, Hyundai Steel has secured the best technology in the electric furnace sector. In addition, by completing an integrated steelworks with three blast furnaces at the Dangjin Steelworks in 2013, Hyundai Steel became the first in the industry to establish a resource-circulating steelworks. Materials for automobiles, ships, and other products are supplied through blast furnaces, and these products, once discarded, are fed as steel scrap into electric furnace facilities and recycled into shaped steel, rebar, and other materials used in construction.

The GR certification system was first introduced in Korea in 1997, the world's first, and certifies the quality of excellent recycled products. It was established to expand demand by having the government certify high-quality recycled products through the development of resource recycling green technologies.

In particular, GR-certified products are classified as ‘green products’ under the Act on the Promotion of Purchase of Green Products, and public institutions are obligated to purchase them. Furthermore, for construction projects ordered by public institutions, subcontractors are also required, in principle, to purchase green products for materials they procure. Hyundai Steel expects a significant increase in the supply volume for construction projects promoted by public institutions following the acquisition of the GR certification.

In addition to the Incheon plant, which recently obtained certification, shaped steel and rebar products from Pohang and Dangjin are currently undergoing document review. Moreover, with the new selection of welded structural rolled steel and hot-rolled steel sheet piles as GR targets, Hyundai Steel is preparing to acquire GR certification for these products. In the second half of the year, the company also plans to pursue certification for structural shaped steel for buildings (SHN) and civil engineering shaped steel (SHP).

Meanwhile, last year Hyundai Steel became the first in the electric furnace industry to obtain domestic Ministry of Environment and U.S. UL Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) certifications for shaped steel and rebar products.

EPD quantitatively indicates the environmental impact of the entire process of a product, including raw material extraction, production, transportation and distribution, use, and disposal. The Ministry of Environment introduced it in 2001 to provide consumers with accurate information on the environmental impact of product manufacturing and to promote eco-friendly consumption. Recently, major advanced countries, including California with its ‘Clean Procurement Act (2020),’ have been strengthening mandatory environmental certification for products, and it is expected that the adoption of such systems will continue to expand in the future.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.