Steel is vital when we think about a green economy, where economic growth and care for the environment go side by side. Steel is the most recycled material on the planet.
Steel is the most used material in infrastructure and machinery for the exploitation of renewable energies, such as solar or wind power. All steel created in the last 150 years can be recycled and used in new products and applications. Due to its properties, steel can be recycled repeatedly, without losing its attributes, and can be passed from one product to another one. Today, 2 out of every 3 tons of steel are produced from recycled steel. The use of iron ore to produce the rest is because of its multiple applications, this means that the world continually requires more and more steel to grow.
Over the last 30 years, the industry has created various innovations that means that 50% less energy is required to manufacture one ton of steel than before. Furthermore, 97% of the by-products of the steel industry can be recovered and reused (slag, process liquids, powders, zinc, etc.) Almost all the water used in steel production processes is returned (except for what evaporates). Even the water that is recycled back into rivers and other sources are generally cleaner than when they were extracted.