Building a Sustainable Tomorrow: Chairman & CEO Tamara Lundgren Highlights Radius’ Leadership in Metals Recycling and Decarbonization

Originally published in Radius Recycling's 2024 Sustainability Report

For more than a century, Radius has been developing robust networks to collect, process, and deliver recycled metals to customers in North America and around the world. Our work and our purpose have never been more relevant than they are today.

Whether for electric vehicle battery production or wind turbine manufacturing, the low-carbon technologies that are fueling the energy transition are more metal-intensive than the technologies they are replacing. Demand for recycled metals continues to rise due to structural shortages of nonferrous metals like copper, increased use of recycled materials by manufacturers, and the growth of electric arc furnace steelmaking, which relies on recycled ferrous metals as its primary feedstock.

Through our metals recycling and Pick-N-Pull operations, we process and sort millions of tons of metals annually, transforming appliances, construction and manufacturing materials, and end-of-life vehicles into processed recycled metals that can be used by steel mills and copper and aluminum smelters around the world to produce new products. At our Cascade steel mill, we produce some of the lowest carbon emission rebar and wire rod in the world through our GRN Steel™ product line. Our 3PR™ services deliver environmental solutions to businesses of all sizes, helping our customers improve recycling rates and material recovery across a growing array of commodities.

Recycling Metals for a Sustainable Tomorrow

What we do and why it matters are defined by our vision of a sustainable tomorrow. Nearly 10 years ago, we created a sustainability framework based on three pillars: People, Planet, and Profit. In 2019, we created multi-year goals aligned with these pillars and established metrics to track progress against these goals. Each year we review our progress, adjust our metrics as we achieve milestones, and adopt new programs and technologies that keep us moving forward. I take pride in highlighting our Company’s achievements and the steady progress we are making toward our goals.

In fiscal 2024, nearly 90% of our facilities remained free from lost-time injuries, and we achieved a 16% year-over year reduction in total case incident rates. We were honored for the 10th consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute as one of the 2024 World’s Most Ethical Companies and achieved certification as a Great Place to Work® for the fourth consecutive year. Our achievements reflect the agility of our workforce, the resilience of our culture, and the strength of our platform and would not be possible without our employees living our Core Values of Safety, Sustainability, and Integrity. Their nimbleness and collaborative spirit underpin our enduring success.

This year we also made meaningful progress on our goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at our recycling operations. We reduced our emissions by 30% against our 2019 baseline, supported by the completion of a state-of-the-art air emissions control system at our metal shredding facility in Portland, Oregon. For the fourth consecutive year, we maintained 100% net carbon-free electricity use across our recycling operations, and we expanded our International Organization for Standardization (ISO)-certified Environmental Management System to encompass 50% of our facilities.

At the same time, we developed solutions for our customers and suppliers to reduce the environmental impact of their operations, and we reinforced our role as a responsible neighbor and steward in the communities in which we operate. In Hawaii, our teams processed debris from the devastating Maui wildfires, aiding in the island’s recovery. In California, our Oakland metals facility supported state and regional agencies as they worked to retire end-of-life transit cars and advance air quality programs that remove older, more polluting vehicles from the road. Whether through formal partnerships with government agencies or by stepping up during crises, our teams consistently answer the call.

Where Change Begins

As we look to the future, we are poised for further growth and well-positioned to benefit from the global focus on decarbonization and the increased metal intensity of lowcarbon technologies.

In this year’s report, you’ll learn more about progress toward our sustainability goals and understand why Radius remains a leader in the recycling industry. On behalf of our Board of Directors, shareholders, and dedicated employees, I invite you to read our Fiscal 2024 Sustainability Report.

Tamara Lundgren / Chairman & CEO

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