press brake tub girder

The American Steel Industry: Meeting the Global Demand for a Sustainable Infrastructure and Educated Workforce

Photo: Construction crew in Michigan installs a sustainable press-brake tub girder bridge with an estimated service life of over 100 years (photo credit TEG Engineering, LLC)

According to estimates by the New Climate Economy, the world will have to invest US$90 trillion in sustainable infrastructure by 2030. For the world to meet this target set by the Paris Agreement, constructing roads and bridges with sustainable materials will require a significant amount of the needed investment. This presents a great challenge in mobilizing resources and developing a trained workforce to integrate climate sustainability in infrastructure.

As interest in green infrastructure becomes more widespread, the demand for related job skills continues to rise. These skills are required not only for the initial design and installation of green infrastructure practices, but for long-term operation and maintenance as well, says the Environmental Protection Agency. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) predicts that jobs in renewables will reach 42 million globally by 2050, four times their current level, through the increased focus of investments on renewables.

Jobs in renewables will reach 42 million globally by 2050, four times their current level. Steel bridges can last 100 years or more, with minimal maintenance over their long service lives.

Education for Sustainable Development

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) empowers learners of all ages with the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to address the interconnected global challenges we are facing, including climate change, environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity, poverty and inequality, says the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Learning must prepare students and learners of all ages to find solutions for the challenges of today and the future, says UNESCO. Education should be transformative and allow us to make informed decisions and take individual and collective action to change our societies and care for the planet.

“Adopting renewables creates jobs and boosts local income in both developed and developing energy markets,” says International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Director-General Francesco La Camera. “While today we see a handful of countries in the lead, each country can harness its renewable potential, take steps to leverage local capabilities for industrial development, and train its workers.”

Karl Barth West Virginia University

Dr. Karl Barth, West Virginia University, provides education to engineers on the sustainable attributes of steel bridges.

Steel For a More Sustainable Infrastructure

In the United States, the newly-signed US$1 trillion infrastructure bill to rebuild the nation’s deteriorating roads and bridges supports the development of green building and its workforce. The bill will create around 650,000 jobs, according to an estimate by Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics. Steel will play a critical role in the development of sustainable infrastructure projects.

“We estimate that for every US$100 billion of new investment in infrastructure, that’s going to mean five million tons of additional steel demand,” American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) CEO Kevin Dempsey said.


The American steel industry is a world leader in developing innovative and sustainable infrastructure solutions and in sustainable steelmaking practices. Steel is widely used worldwide for the construction of bridges of all sizes. It is the most recycled material on the planet and is 100 percent recyclable at the end of its useful life. Once produced, steel can be continually recycled into new steel products without any deterioration in product quality – a steel beam can become another steel beam, or a refrigerator, car door or roof panel.

Steel has proven to be an innovative material in the bridge market. An example is the new steel press-brake tub girder (PBTG) technology. PBTG bridges are prefabricated offsite, delivered to the project site on a truck and installed by local crews in a few hours. They require minimal maintenance during their long service lives of 100 years or more, saving significant time and costs for state Departments of Transportation.

steel making

The American steel industry is the cleanest and most energy-efficient of the seven largest steel-producing countries in the world.

In terms of steelmaking, the American steel industry is committed to manufacturing innovative products and implementing processes that achieve environmental, social and economic sustainability. The American steel industry is the cleanest and most energy-efficient of the seven largest steel-producing countries in the world. The industry is actively dedicated to meeting society’s needs and advancing environmental stewardship.

Work is underway on projects to further enhance the sustainability of American steel industry operations, including increased use of renewable energy in steel production, and advancements in domestic production using direct reduced iron (DRI) and hot briquetted iron (HBI) in both integrated and electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking. HBI and DRI use natural gas as a reductant which will further increase blast furnace and EAF productivity and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Sustainability Tools and Resources

The American steel industry is already geared up to meet the global infrastructure challenge with its sustainable steel product and its sustainable steelmaking practices. It is also prepared to meet the challenge of educating a new sustainable workforce. AISI, the Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance (SSSBA) and its partner organizations have developed tools and educational resources to train the future workforce on the use of steel to create a more durable and sustainable infrastructure. These resources include:

Videos

Tools

Resources

Webinars/Educational Events

As interest in green infrastructure becomes more widespread, the steel industry will persist in providing the necessary tools and resources to educate the workforce on the use of the world’s most sustainable material – steel.

Additional Sustainability Blog Posts:

  • What is a Sustainable Bridge? (read now)
  • Extending the Life of a Steel Bridge: 100 Years and Beyond (read now)
  • Overview of Green Bridge Rating Systems (read now)
  • The Rehabilitation and Repair of Steel Bridges (read now)
  • The American Steel Industry: Meeting the Global Demand for a Sustainable Infrastructure and Educated Workforce (read now)
  • Steel Bridges: Impact on the Community and Surrounding Environment (coming soon)
  • Climate Change, Steel Bridges (coming soon)
  • Economics: Affordable Sustainable Steel Bridges (coming soon)
  • Sustainability: Material Selection and Bridge Configuration (coming soon)
  • Advanced Grades of Steel for Sustainable Bridges Solutions (coming soon)

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