Steel is the most commonly used metal in the world. It is intrinsic to our way of life now, to the products society will demand in future, and to achieving a circular economy. Steel maximises the value of resources more than any other material, through its recovery and reuse, manufacturing and recycling.

Steel is a unique material because it is truly recyclable – when steel is recycled it becomes new steel and not an inferior product. Since steel does not downgrade when recycled, it can be re-used over and over again and moreover, steel is the most recycled material in the world. The impact of making steel can be viewed as an investment in a material which will be used again and again, rather than a one-off, making steel a highly sustainable material.

Scrap steel is an essential ingredient for all new steel, so every steel-making plant is a recycling plant. The value of scrap steel ensures that whenever it can be collected and recycled, it is. But in many applications, steel lasts for a long time, so there is a lot of steel in the world, doing a useful job. At the same time, global demand for steel is growing. So, even with efficient recovery and recycling, scrap steel only accounts for about one third of total steel demand. At least for the foreseeable future, steel will need to be made from virgin resources, but it is essential to ensure that recovery and recycling is designed-in to all steel applications and that every piece of steel which can be recycled is.

Steel is essential to modern life and to a future of sustainable development. Steel will form an essential ingredient in many developments which come to epitomize a sustainable future. Steel is already being used in many ways to deliver this sustainable future.

As we face the global challenges of the future, delivering a sustainable energy infrastructure is becoming ever-more vital. We believe that wind power will play a major role in that future. A typical wind turbine uses around 140 tonnes of steel, while an off-shore turbine can use over 1,000 tonnes. Even so, the embodied carbon emissions tied up in a wind turbine are paid back in only a few months. This is an excellent example of investing natural resources into generating sustainable energy.

Sustainable, low energy transport is a big challenge for the future. Again, steel lies at the heart of the solution. New, advanced steels, are making cars lighter and more fuel efficient, without affecting cost-efficiency, safety or manufacturing-phase emissions. Meanwhile, advancements in steel help to make rail transport even more sustainable, minimising maintenance and track down-time.

Steel is essential for our infrastructure and many of the most sustainable buildings use steel. Lightweight steel construction provides low-energy, thermally responsive buildings which are more efficient to construct and easier to reconfigure.