Steel - the permanent material in the circular economyThe circular economy is a move from linear business models, in which products are manufactured from raw materials and then discarded at the end of their useful lives, to circular business models, where intelligent design leads to products or their parts being reused, remanufactured and recycled. The concept of the circular economy drives optimal resource efficiency. It makes sure that resources are allocated to products and services in such a way as to enable a sustainable future for everyone. All steel products need to be designed efficiently and to be durable, easy to reuse and remanufacture, and ultimately recycled. In a well-structured circular economy, the steel industry has significant competitive advantages over other materials.Given the inherent properties of steel, many of the circular economy principles are already well established.Introduction02 Steel - the permanent material in the circular economyReduceReduce means decreasing the amount of material, energy, waste and other resources used to create steel, and reducing the weight of steel used in products.ReuseReuse is using an object or material again, either for its original purpose or for a similar purpose, without significantly altering the physical form of the object or material.RemanufactureRemanufacturing is the standardised industrial process of restoring used steel-containing products to as-new. RecycleMelting steel scrap from products at the end of their useful life to create new steels. Recycling alters the physical form of the steel object so that a new application can be created from the recycled material.Case studiesWe are seeing more and more initiatives and companies highlight stee...
