Partnership Brings Lower-Carbon Materials to Industrial Equipment

Acerinox and Alfa Laval have joined forces to accelerate industrial decarbonisation through the adoption of low-emission stainless steel in heat transfer equipment used across a wide range of industries.

Under the collaboration, Alfa Laval will incorporate Acerinox’s EcoACX® stainless steel into the production of its gasketed plate heat exchangers, helping to reduce the carbon footprint of critical industrial components while maintaining performance and efficiency standards.

The partnership reflects growing efforts across the manufacturing sector to address emissions not only from operations but also from the materials used throughout industrial supply chains. By combining lower-carbon materials with energy-efficient technologies, the companies aim to provide customers with solutions that support both operational performance and sustainability objectives.

Heat exchangers play a vital role in industrial processes worldwide, enabling the transfer, recovery and management of heat in applications ranging from food processing and energy production to data centres and commercial buildings. As demand grows for more sustainable industrial infrastructure, manufacturers are increasingly looking at the embodied carbon of the materials used in equipment production.

At the centre of the collaboration is EcoACX®, Acerinox’s low-emission stainless steel range. Produced using 90% recycled material, the product delivers a carbon footprint that is approximately 50% lower than conventional stainless steel while maintaining the durability, corrosion resistance and technical performance required for demanding industrial applications.

By integrating EcoACX® into a significant proportion of the channel plates used in its gasketed plate heat exchangers, Alfa Laval aims to reduce emissions associated with the upstream stages of its value chain. The move forms part of the company’s broader efforts to lower the environmental impact of its products throughout their lifecycle.

The companies say the initiative demonstrates how material innovation can contribute to industrial decarbonisation alongside improvements in energy efficiency and process optimisation. While heat exchangers already help customers reduce energy consumption and recover waste heat, the use of lower-carbon materials further reduces their overall environmental footprint.

The collaboration also highlights the increasing importance of circularity in industrial manufacturing. By utilising stainless steel produced largely from recycled content, the project supports efforts to reduce demand for virgin raw materials while lowering emissions associated with production.

As industries face mounting pressure to cut greenhouse gas emissions and meet increasingly ambitious climate targets, supply chain emissions have become a growing area of focus. The partnership between Acerinox and Alfa Laval illustrates how manufacturers are seeking practical and commercially available solutions to reduce embodied carbon without compromising product quality or performance.

By bringing together advanced heat transfer technology and lower-emission stainless steel, the companies believe they can offer customers an immediate pathway to reducing the environmental impact of industrial operations. The collaboration underscores a broader shift across manufacturing, where sustainable materials are increasingly becoming a key component of decarbonisation strategies rather than a future ambition.