Our Company
Environment
We believe that to make the steel America needs, we don’t have to incur an ecological debt that will be repaid by future generations.
Toward a sustainable future
First-time visitors to our campus often remark that they didn’t expect to find a steel mill in such a pastoral setting. The sky above is clear, the air is fresh and wildlife teems in the wetlands, woods and fields on our campus and in the rich surrounding farmland of northeast Indiana.
And it’s all by design—born of our sense of environmental stewardship. SDI believes that to make the steel America needs to stay strong and secure, we don’t have to incur an ecological debt that will be repaid by future generations.
Mini-mill technology
SDI is at the forefront of mini-mill technology, a method of steelmaking that uses primarily scrap steel from a variety of sources—end-of-life automobiles, industrial equipment, infrastructure—to make new prime steel. In fact, the mini-mill segment of the American steel industry is one of the largest recyclers of metals in the nation, reusing material that once filled junkyards and littered the countryside.
Mini-mill technology has been an environmental triumph, requiring far fewer finite natural resources and significantly less energy to produce steel than the traditional integrated method of steelmaking. And because we use fewer natural resources and less energy to make steel, the ecological footprint we leave is much smaller.
New technology
At the Butler Division, we’re continually investing in new technology that will further minimize the impact we have on health and habitat. A new baghouse structure that works as a giant vacuum cleaner not only removes dust in the flat roll mill, but also keeps dust from escaping into the surrounding atmosphere.
We also ensure that every load of scrap entering our mill campus is free of any materials that may pose potential health risks because of harmful emissions. We actively support the National Vehicle Mercury Switch Recovery Program, an effort to remove mercury-containing electrical switches from end-of-life vehicles before they enter the steel-scrap supply.
U.S. Green Building Council
SDI is also a member of the U.S. Green Building Council, and our customers can earn LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) credits by using many of our products.
In everything we do, we remain mindful of protecting our environment, striving to ensure a sustainable future for generations to come.