Green Initiatives

A Business Revolved Around Recycling

Rail steel used in JSS angle represents recycling at its finest. Whereas other steel products require a heavy gauge, rail steel provides the same performance and dependability with less material. All the by-products of JSS production is recycled including mill-scale, punchings, crops, drops and small end pieces. Jersey Shore Steels simple process also beats conventional steel processes in water and solid waste emission. JSS continues to make improvements in energy efficiency and environmental impacts including variable speed motors on pumps and fans, installing HID lighting, and recycling office waste.

Recycled Content

Because Jersey Shore Steel is made from 100% old railroad rails destined for scrap it beats its conventional steel competitors for Recycled Content, especially in percent post consumer recycled content. This makes Jersey Shore Steel products the best choice for inclusion in assemblies for the best LEED ratings.

LEED

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is "an internationally recognized green building certification system", developed by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). LEED summarizes points earned based on various categories. Materials and Resources awards points based on the total amount of recycled content which must exceed between 10% to 20%, with respect to the material's total value within the project. Companies will improve their LEED rating by using components made by Jersey Shore Steel, which is 100% recycled, thus earning maximum points.

Embodied Energy & Source

Land Fill Gas is produced at a steady rate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and the life span of a LFG installation is many years, increasing output as the land fill ages, making this a very sustainable source of energy for Jersey Shore Steel. Jersey Shore Steel products have 14% of the Embodied Energy of equivalent products produced from ore (BOF) and 34% of the Embodied Energy of products produced using Mini-mills (EAF) .

Carbon Dioxide Equivalent

The total carbon dioxide equivalent is based on the Environmental Protection Agency's clean energy values for industries with respect to Greenhouse Gases (GHGs). Further using the EPA's clean energy calculator, the inputs assumed 100% recycled input and the MMBTU LFG is replaced by Natural Gas. While steel products produced directly from scrap railroad rails produces between 5% and 12% of the Carbon Footprint of conventional steels, Jersey Shore Steel's products produce a negative Carbon Footprintbecause it uses Land Fill Gasses which would either be emitted directly or burned off.

Methodology

The eco-properties of materials are determined by International Standard methods. This study used a balance method to determine the values for comparison, along with published and historical data.

Downloadable File: 

The Worlds Greenest Steel