France-based pipe manufacturer Vallourec has stated that it is maintaining its commitment to sustainable development, indicating that in 2012 it achieved a 12 percent increase in energy efficiency compared to 2008. Vallourec saw a big improvement in energy efficiency, since the proportion of premium products manufactured by the company has grown significantly and these require more complicated and energy-intensive heat treatment and finishing processes.
In 2012, 50 percent of the steel used by the company to produce tubes, whether it was made internally or bought from steel companies, came from recycled scrap metal, leading to an equivalent reduction in the amount of iron ore extracted. This figure is as high as 65 percent if only the steel produced by Vallourec's steel mills is taken into account.
