A supply of fossil fuel-free steel for use in brake pad shims, an important part used to eliminate brake noise, particularly in electric cars where annoying sounds are most clearly perceived. This is the subject of the agreement between SSAB, global steel company, and Trelleborg Sealing Solutions Kalmar AB, a manufacturer of sound-absorbing shims that wants to offer brake shims with a very low carbon footprint.

By changing the way steel is produced, SSAB wants to reduce emissions and create a fossil fuel-free value chain with customers and partners.
SSAB has developed two unique types of steel that are produced with virtually no fossil carbon dioxide emissions: SSAB Zero TM and SSAB Fossil-freeTM steel. SSAB Zero TM is based on recycled steel scrap and is produced with fossil fuel-free electricity and biogas and is available for commercial delivery from 2023. SSAB Fossil-freeTM steel is produced from iron ore using HYBRIT® technology developed by SSAB together with iron ore producer LKAB and energy company Vattenfall.

Stefan Lundström, Business Unit President, Trelleborg Sealing Solutions Kalmar AB

The technology, which has been tested on a pilot scale, uses hydrogen produced with fossil fuel-free electricity to produce iron, the primary raw material in steel production. The residual product is water instead of carbon dioxide.
“Our unique solutions to eliminate vibration and noise in cars are based on our technical knowledge and experience. With fossil fuel-free steel in our components, we will leap forward and strengthen our position as market leader,” says Stefan Lundström, Business Unit President, Trelleborg Sealing Solutions Kalmar AB.

Olavi Huhtala, head of SSAB Europe


“We are pleased to welcome Trelleborg Sealing Solutions as a fossil fuel-free partner. Together, we will support the automotive industry in delivering key components required by both manufacturers and consumers. In the end, we will deliver more sustainable cars to customers,” says Olavi Huhtala, head of SSAB Europe.