It is often thought that cutting a vehicle’s carbon footprint means making structural components from the lightest possible materials. However, Stefan Lindner, lead technical manager, mobility and transport, BL Advanced Materials, at Outokumpu, a producer of stainless steel headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, says that is not necessarily the case as any evaluation must consider both the material’s production and the use phases.

There are a select few materials automotive companies can use to make structural components for their vehicles. Carbon fibre is both light and strong, but not feasible for volume production vehicles. As a result, companies often turn to either standard carbon steel or aluminium.

Due to its low density, aluminium is often regarded as the most suitable for building fuel-efficient components. However, what about the carbon emissions resulting from the material’s mining, refining and processing stages?

The challenge for automotive designers is that while a growing number...