Stahl

Gerlafingen looks to the future

To truly understand what steel means to Switzerland, Richard Etienne, business editor at Le Temps, travelled from Lausanne to Gerlafingen to see it firsthand.

What he found is far more than a production site. Stahl Gerlafingen, part of the AFV Beltrame Group, is a village within a village, and the only steelmaker in Switzerland producing a vital construction material largely from recycled scrap, with significantly lower CO₂ emissions than the European average.

#Steel has been produced here for over 200 years. Today, the site supplies around half of the reinforcement steel used in Swiss construction. The challenges are well known: high electricity prices, a strong Swiss franc, global overcapacity and rising trade barriers. Yet the commitment has never wavered.

Through continuous investment, operational flexibility and close proximity to its customers, Gerlafingen ensures fast, reliable and sustainable deliveries, powered by a greener electricity mix and achieving lower CO₂ emissions per tonne of steel than many international competitors.

Public support measures send an important signal. But what will truly secure the future of sustainable steelmaking in Switzerland is a stable, long-term framework that recognises the value of local, circular and low-carbon production.

At AFV Beltrame, we remain convinced: a competitive, climate-efficient and carbon neutral steel industry has a rightful place in Switzerland.