I’ve set up this organization in the UK. www.cleanupthetropicaltimbertrade.org. In 2023 we helped the indigenous communities of the Upper Baram rainforest in Sarawak defeat Samling Berhad, the biggest logging multinational operating in Malaysia, in court. All of which to say; we need to keep at it, all of us. You are my inspiration
First - I very much enjoy your newsletters, thank you for that.
In yesterday's newsletter, I was surprised to read about Carbon Upcycling using steel slags to create cement. The reason for this is a scandal here in The Netherlands about steel slags still being used in government approved building projects, despite the fact that research in the past determined that when they come into contact with water, they 'leak' poisonous heavy metals. The slaked lime inside the steel slags raises the pH of the water to levels comparable to sink unblockers. There was a recent item on a Dutch investigative journalism tv show Nieuwsuur ('news hour'), which you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc61sQXh8GU (if the link gets stripped from my comments, you can find it by searching youtube for 'nieuwsuur staalslakken'). It is in Dutch, but the subtitles can be set to English. An English news article about this can be found here: https://www.dutchnews.nl/2025/07/dutch-ban-use-of-steel-slag-in-public-places-pending-research/
So my question is this: are they ignoring (or unaware of) this at Carbon Upcycling, or is their process a possible solution for the Dutch situation? Or is there another reason they don't have this problem, maybe their Steel slags are different?
I fear the first, of course, especially because lobbying by Tata Steel here in The Netherlands has led to the government, including our Department of Public (water)Works (Rijkswaterstaat) silently undoing a previous ban on the use of the material, probably because our steel industry is so important to the economy. The scandal this recently caused has led to calls for emergency legislation and the immediate suspension of the use of steel slags in areas where exposure is dangerous (like in kids playgrounds).
I’ve set up this organization in the UK. www.cleanupthetropicaltimbertrade.org. In 2023 we helped the indigenous communities of the Upper Baram rainforest in Sarawak defeat Samling Berhad, the biggest logging multinational operating in Malaysia, in court. All of which to say; we need to keep at it, all of us. You are my inspiration
Thank you for everything you do! You inspire me. 🌱
First - I very much enjoy your newsletters, thank you for that.
In yesterday's newsletter, I was surprised to read about Carbon Upcycling using steel slags to create cement. The reason for this is a scandal here in The Netherlands about steel slags still being used in government approved building projects, despite the fact that research in the past determined that when they come into contact with water, they 'leak' poisonous heavy metals. The slaked lime inside the steel slags raises the pH of the water to levels comparable to sink unblockers. There was a recent item on a Dutch investigative journalism tv show Nieuwsuur ('news hour'), which you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc61sQXh8GU (if the link gets stripped from my comments, you can find it by searching youtube for 'nieuwsuur staalslakken'). It is in Dutch, but the subtitles can be set to English. An English news article about this can be found here: https://www.dutchnews.nl/2025/07/dutch-ban-use-of-steel-slag-in-public-places-pending-research/
So my question is this: are they ignoring (or unaware of) this at Carbon Upcycling, or is their process a possible solution for the Dutch situation? Or is there another reason they don't have this problem, maybe their Steel slags are different?
I fear the first, of course, especially because lobbying by Tata Steel here in The Netherlands has led to the government, including our Department of Public (water)Works (Rijkswaterstaat) silently undoing a previous ban on the use of the material, probably because our steel industry is so important to the economy. The scandal this recently caused has led to calls for emergency legislation and the immediate suspension of the use of steel slags in areas where exposure is dangerous (like in kids playgrounds).
I am very interested in your take on this.