Steel and building materials manufacturer Emirates Steel Arkan (ESA) has announced a strategic partnership with Finnish decarbonisation company Magsort. 

The collaboration was announced at this year's Cemtech Middle East & Africa event.

It marks a step towards ESA's commitment to net zero by 2050, aligning with the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) First Long-Term Strategy (LTS) and Conference of the Parties (COP28).

ESA Group CEO Saeed Ghumran Al Remeithi said: “This collaboration demonstrates that ESA is driving the industry efforts undertaken during COP28 and will position the company as the leader of the cement industry in achieving the UAE LTS targets.  

“The possibility to process steel slag produced by Emirates Steel is also an extraordinary example of the circular economy within the UAE, where both business units (Steel and Building Materials) will develop solid economical synergies while contributing to sustainable practices.” 

The initiative will be piloted at ESA's Al Ain Cement Factory, aiming to reduce the company's carbon dioxide (CO₂) footprint by up to 15%.  

This is expected to be achieved by processing ESA’s steel slag with Magsort's proprietary solutions. 

The initiative is also anticipated to result in decreased consumption of both limestone and fuel.  

Magsort CEO Kalle Rasinmaki said: “We have been very impressed with the speed and resolve of the decision-making process to implement concrete actions towards the decarbonisation of cement manufacturing.”