Optimus Steel

Optimus Steel partnered with SINAI to replace spreadsheet-based carbon accounting with a centralized, auditable GHG management platform. With SINAI, this transition enabled the digitization of scopes 1, 2, and 3 emissions over the last five years, and supported an inventory structure for product carbon footprint (PCF) calculations. The detailed data allowed Optimus Steel to leverage data in SINAI to streamline the development of Environmental Product Declaration's (EPD’s) for their products. These achievements highlight Optimus Steel’s commitment to producing low-carbon steel and advancing sustainability.

Digitizing Scope 1 and 2 Emissions and Developing a Best-in-Class Scope 3 Inventory

As leading US steel producer, Optimus Steel recognized the growing regulatory focus on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within the steel industry. Previously reliant on spreadsheets, the company faced inefficiencies managing data for their scope 1 and 2 emissions, and they were interested in expanding their carbon accounting to cover scope 3 activities. Recognizing the need for robust carbon accounting aligned with frameworks like the Global Steel Climate Council (GSCC) and Worldsteel, Optimus sought a partner to streamline their emissions reporting and strengthen their competitive edge.

Addressing Carbon Intensity Amid Evolving Regulations

Despite producing low-carbon steel using over 90% recycled scrap, Optimus Steel needed a formalized approach to quantify and validate their environmental advantages. The growing importance of product carbon footprint (PCF) reporting and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) prompted the company to partner with a system capable of integrating carbon intensity monitoring to support regulatory compliance and customer requirements.

Optimus Steel selected SINAI Technologies as the only solution capable of meeting their unique demands within the steel industry:

• Industry-Specific Expertise: Optimus Steel relied on SINAI’s expertise to navigate the complexities of carbon accounting in the steel sector and ensure regulatory compliance.‍‍
• ‍Adaptability: SINAI’s flexible platform supports segmentation by production phases (e.g., EAF, rolling mills) and boundaries (e.g., upstream vs. downstream), enabling reporting under different requirements.‍
• Carbon Intensity Focus: SINAI’s platform provides detailed process-level calculations to measure and analyze both absolute emissions and carbon intensity trends over time.

Centralizing Emissions Data and Building Scope 3 Inventories

SINAI’s platform centralized Optimus Steel’s data at a highly granular level across their operations, consolidating diverse sources, including plant mass balance sheets, natural gas reports, electricity bills, purchased materials invoices, hazardous waste logs, and product distribution records, into a single, auditable system for emissions reporting. SINAI was able to digitize complex scope 1 industrial processing calculations, which involved accounting carbon content in material inputs and outputs, such as scrap steel, carbonaceous materials, and molten steel. For scope 3, SINAI’s climate advisory team conducted a Materiality and Relevance Assessment to identify appropriate scope 3 activities to include, such as purchased materials (Category 1), capital goods (Category 2), upstream transportation (Category 4), and waste management (Category 5). Customizable templates simplified data collection across the business to streamline the development of an average-data based scope 3 inventory, bypassing estimation methods, such as spend-based methodologies.

Process-Specific Calculations for Carbon Intensity

To better prepare for product carbon footprint reporting and customer requests, SINAI structured data at the process or equipment level (e.g., EAF, rolling mills) to better monitor consumption and therefore emissions across the plant. This detailed data enabled faster EPD development, verified by Vertima. The platform’s granular modeling and centralized GHG data ensured reliable, auditable results while reducing the time and effort spent throughout the verification process.

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“SINAI enabled us to successfully complete our most recent EPD assessment and equipped us to adapt to future regulatory requirements.”

Edward Goettl Vice President, Market Development

Digitizing Inventories, Completing Scope 3 and Ensuring Compliance

Using SINAI’s platform, Optimus Steel replaced inefficient spreadsheets with an integrated and centralized platform. SINAI’s ISO-compliant system ensured alignment with frameworks and regulations like the EPA Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP), GSCC, and CBAM. By automating emissions factor updates and consolidating data sources, SINAI created a scalable system for ongoing compliance and reporting.

Collaborating with SINAI’s climate advisory team, Optimus Steel conducted its first comprehensive scope 3 inventory, adhering to steel industry standards. The Materiality and Relevance Assessment identified the most impactful categories—purchased goods, capital goods, transportation, and waste management—resulting in a complete, accurate GHG inventory. This inventory provides a robust foundation for future regulatory needs while enabling Optimus Steel to meet customer expectations for transparency.

Achieving Data Accuracy and Successful EPD

SINAI's Carbon Accounting module enabled Optimus Steel to complete its most recent Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) assessment, conducted by Vertima using SINAI-generated data. The platform’s granular modeling and centralized GHG data ensured reliable, auditable results while reducing the time and effort spent throughout the verification process. The successful EPD reinforces Optimus Steel's commitment to providing transparency into the company's environmental impact and enhances the credibility of its sustainability reporting.  Furthermore the definition of product carbon intensity has been automated in the SINAI platform, allowing for a quick assessment of the emissions on a regular basis as feedstocks or energy inputs change. By adopting SINAI, Optimus Steel is prepared to meet customer demands for detailed product carbon footprints and comply with evolving steel industry regulations long into the future.