Steel - The permanent material in the circular economy

The worldsteel association has created a new website to discuss how steel fits into the circular economy.

From the website:

The 4Rs
A sustainable circular economy is one in which society reduces the burden on nature by ensuring resources remain in use for as long as possible. As a permanent material, steel is fundamental to achieving a circular economy. It is easy to reduce the weight of steel products, and steel components can be effectively reused, remanufactured, or recycled.

Reduce

Over the past 50 years, the steel industry has invested in research and technology to create new grades of advanced and ultra-high strength steels. These grades have reduced the weight of many steel applications by up to 40%. Optimizing the weight of products is an integral part of a circular economy.

Use and Reuse

In a fully circular economy, the reuse of a manufactured product is considered in the earliest design phases of its creation. This allows both small- and large-scale products to be repurposed for another quickly and efficiently once their initial use is fulfilled.

Remanufacture

Many steel products such as construction and farm machinery, truck and car engines, electrical motors, domestic appliances, and wind turbines are already remanufactured. Remanufacturing takes advantage of the durability of steel components and guarantees that the energy used to create the components is preserved.

Recycle

Steel has been recycled ever since it was first made. All available steel scrap is recycled, over and over again to create new steel products in a closed material loop. Recycled steel maintains the inherent properties of the original steel.

Check out the site to learn more about the circular economy and how steel can contribute.