JFE Steel Corporation announced today that it has acquired EcoLeaf, the Japan EPD Program by SuMPO, from the Sustainable Management Promotion Organization (SuMPO) in Japan for five of its building-construction steel products, namely, H beams, SHH (Super High Slend H beams ), extra-thick H beams, construction-steel plates and construction-steel columns. This is the second set of JFE Steel products to be certified under EcoLeaf following steel sheet for tinplate products.

EcoLeaf enables customers to quantitatively and objectively evaluate the environmental impact of products based on manufacturer data that has been confirmed fairly and reliably through third-party examinations and verifications.

JFE Steel’s newly certified construction-steel products, which achieve high strength, weldability and cost performance, are widely used in steel structures ranging from houses to high-rise buildings. JFE Steel believes that the EcoLeaf system’s highly transparent disclosure of environmental impact will enable customers to use the company’s products with full confidence.

JFE Steel also supports the efforts of customers to address environmental issues through the LEED certification¹ system, which evaluates the overall environmental performance of buildings. Furthermore, the per-unit environmental impact of steel in manufacturing is significantly lower than that of other materials (as explained in the JFE Group CSR Report 2021), strengthening steel’s reputation as an essential material for the realization of a sustainable society.

In May 2021, parent company JFE introduced its JFE Group Environmental Vision for 2050. As part of a broad-based initiative to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, the group is actively expanding its initiatives to reduce CO₂ emissions through more eco-friendly products. JFE Steel, in addition to reducing its own direct CO₂ emissions, is committed to contributing to a more sustainable world by supplying high-quality, eco-friendly steel products.

EcoLeaf, the Japan EPD Program by SuMPO

EcoLeaf is a Type III environmental product declaration (EPD¹) managed by the Sustainable Management Promotion Organization (SuMPO). It is used for quantitative disclosure of the environmental impact of products and services over their entire life cycles, from raw material procurement to disposal and recycling. The EcoLeaf label complies with the ISO 14025:2006 standard (Environmental labels and declarations — Type III environmental declarations — Principles and procedures). For more on the Sustainable Management Promotion Organization, Environmental Label Program, see https://ecoleaf-label.jp/english/.

To support the EcoLeaf environmental labeling program, the Japan Iron and Steel Federation developed the Product Category Rule (PCR²) for calculating the environmental impact of products, for which it received authorization in August 2019. The PCR complies with the ISO 20915 and JIS Q 20915 standards, both of which account for recycling capacity when determining the quantitative environmental impact of steel products. Based on this rationale, JFE Steel will now use EcoLeaf labeling to disclose the detailed environmental impact of its products. For more, see the following Japan Iron and Steel Federation press release on the formulation of the Product Category Rule for calculating environmental impact:
https://www.jisf.or.jp/news/topics/190822.html (Japanese only).

Separately, the EN 15804³ standard regulating the PCRs of building materials in Europe requires disclosure of recycling capacity, which JFE Steel believes is partially satisfied with EcoLeaf.

¹ Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, a nonprofit organization operated by Green Business Certification Inc., to evaluate the environmental performance of buildings and other structures.

² Basic rules pertaining to the methods for calculating and disclosing environmental impact values for each product type with respect to EPD and EcoLeaf label. Regarding steel products, PCRs for screw-joint rebar were developed in 2018 and then expanded to cover all steel products in August of that year. Similar PCRs conforming to JIS Q 20915 also has been formulated.

³ This European EPD standard for the construction field requires disclosure not only when building materials are produced but also when they are disposed, including their recycling capacity.

About JFE Steel Corporation

JFE Steel Corporation, one of the world’s leading integrated steel producers, was established through the consolidation of NKK Corporation and Kawasaki Steel Corporation in 2003. The company operates several steelworks in Japan and numerous branch offices and affiliates throughout the world. JFE Steel leverages world-class technologies and know-how to produce a wide range of products based on its “Only One, Number One” strategy of focusing on unique and best-in-class products. The company reported consolidated sales of 2,255 billion yen and consolidated crude steel output of 23.96 million tons in the fiscal year ended March 2021.

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