A hero in steel: Keith Russell’s mission
If you’re expecting a man of steel to save the world, you’re either a six-year-old boy or you’ve heard a whisper about Keith Russell. Keith may not leap tall buildings, but he is saving the planet… one soffit at a time.
Back when he was a contractor, Keith witnessed the excessive materials, leftover waste and multiple trades that a traditional soffit installation required. Determined to find a better way, he created a company called Ribon to make elegant soffit systems out of steel. These systems reduce waste, save time on installation and no longer require multiple tradesmen.
Steel’s surprising sustainability
When you think of eco-friendly building materials, steel rarely springs to mind. But dig a little deeper and you'll discover that steel—especially when used in products like Ribon’s soffit system—deserves a place at the forefront of sustainable construction.
There is a sobering statistic that roughly half of all landfill waste comes from building materials. Like a villain hiding in plain sight, this waste not only clogs up landfills, but gradually releases carbon back into the atmosphere.
Recycling without limits
The good news is, Ribon is doing its bit to reverse that statistic. Ribon soffits are cut to fit, so there’s little to no wastage. Even if there was (but there’s not), any leftover bit of steel can be recycled right back into service.
When it comes to recycling, steel sets the gold standard. You can take a piece of steel from a building, melt it down and use it in another building, again and again in an infinite cycle without a speck of quality lost. And that’s exactly why steel is widely accepted as the world’s most recyclable material. Instead of ending up in landfills, demolished steel structures are reborn again and again as new steel products in a perfectly circular economy.
Greener steel production in New Zealand
Of course, if you really wanted to get picky, it is true that steel production has a history of being rather energy-intensive. But players like Electric Arc Furnaces have developed methods of melting down scrap steel using far less energy and emitting significantly less carbon compared to the old ways. Estimates project savings of around a million tonnes of CO2 per year in New Zealand—not too shabby.
In New Zealand, steel starts under the squiggling toes of beachgoers. Much of the iron used for steel comes from black sands found along the west coast of the North Island, particularly in the Waikato region. These heavy, magnetic grains are naturally deposited by ocean currents, then concentrated and extracted in an environmentally respectable manner.
The whole steel industry is working mindfully to make sustainability a priority. NZ Steel, for example, returns material to mined areas in a process known as land rehab. They give back by planting native seedlings in reclaimed sites and restoring native habitats. As if that wasn’t enough, they also use an 18km underground slurry pipeline, powered by electricity, to transport iron sand concentrate to the Glenbrook mill. This cuts down truck journeys for lower emissions and a smaller carbon footprint.
Durability That Delivers
Steel’s reputation for strength and longevity is no pipe dream but a solid reality. Its durability translates into longer-lasting buildings and infrastructure, reducing the need for replacements or repairs. For soffits like Ribon’s, steel allows for a more efficient design, often needing less material to achieve the same result.
Sustainability isn’t just about the here and now, it’s about making choices that stand the test of time. The next time you’re weighing up soffit and framing options, make a call for the unlikely hero. Steel is strong, reliable and infinitely renewable; which makes Ribon a decision that’s as good for the planet as it is for your project.
