Boliden is on a mission to be the most climate-friendly metal provider
100-year-old Boliden has a clear vision for the future: it wants to be the most climate-friendly and respected metal provider in the world. By 2030, the multinational company aims to reduce its CO₂ emissions by 42 percent compared to 2021.
Boliden’s zinc smelter in Kokkola, Finland is both a forerunner in automation and already among the most energy-efficient of its kind. Its products include low-carbon and recycled zinc as well as low-carbon sulphuric acid.
“While the industry average for emissions per produced kilogram of zinc is 3.6 kg CO₂e, Boliden’s average is less than one kilogram when making our low-carbon zinc. The carbon footprint of our sulphuric acid – a by-product of zinc production – is also significantly smaller than the EU average”, Boliden Kokkola’s General Manager Vesa Törölä states.
In addition to sulphuric acid, smelting produces other by-products as well. At Boliden Kokkola, these side streams are put to use in various ways to enhance a circular economy.
“For example, we provide sulphuric acid to our neighbouring factories, copper to our sister plant in Harjavalta, and heat to Kokkola citizens.”
Zinc is widely used in infrastructure, such as bridges, as it prolongs the life cycles of steel structures.
One of Boliden’s latest steps towards climate-friendly production is the groundbreaking discovery of how slag, another by-product of smelting similar to jarosite, can also be efficiently utilised.
“Our new technology allows converting slag into supplementary, low-carbon cementitious material. This is a huge breakthrough – the technology would reduce the climate impact of cement production by 95 percent”, Törölä says.
Utilising slags would advance the Kokkola zinc smelter’s circular economy even further. Boliden has submitted patent applications and initiated a preliminary study regarding the technology’s commercialisation.
Törölä points out that zinc is in fact a sustainable metal in and of itself as it protects other metals from corrosion and prolongs their life cycle.
“Our zinc products are used in many industries from transportation and construction to renewable energy, making the efforts to lower our carbon footprint essential for building sustainable societies.”
In 2023, Boliden Kokkola became one of the world’s first zinc smelters to receive the prestigious Zinc Mark certification after meeting the 32 criteria of responsible production. The criteria cover issues related to the environment, governance, society, and human rights.
Published in Coastline Magazine 2025.