Every second, in the world, steel recycling averages 15 tons, making it the most efficient material in terms of sustainability.
Thanks to its capacity for infinite recycling, steel maintains its physical and chemical properties without losing strength, hardness, or malleability.
Steel and its role in construction
According to a report by the European Recycling Industries’ Confederation (EuRIC), the sector that most uses recycled steel is construction, as this material is ideal for:
- Buildings and houses.
- Bridges and public works.
- Dry structures, known for being cost-effective, sustainable, and durable.
Despite its recycling capacity, new steel continues to be produced due to the need for extremely resistant materials designed to last decades or even centuries, as in the case of bridges.
Steel recycling and the circular economy
The possibility of reusing steel indefinitely makes it the protagonist of the circular economy.
This material is present in most everyday use products and, once they reach the end of their useful life, they are transferred to scrap yards, where they are:
- Melted and transformed into new steel sheets.
- Sorted by components, using magnets and separation processes.
- Recover minerals such as tin, zinc, and aluminum.
Lower energy consumption and emission reduction
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the production of recycled steel:
- Consumes 74% less energy than production from iron ore.
- Avoids CO₂ emissions, reducing the climate impact.
To put its impact into perspective, recycling the steel from a car avoids the release of CO₂ equivalent to 14 tanks of fuel from a medium-sized car, according to the Spanish Federation of Recovery and Recycling (FER).
Steel recycling, the largest activity in the world
According to the report “Steel and raw materials” (2023) by the World Steel Association (Worldsteel):
- Steel recycling exceeds 800 million tons annually.
- Avoids the emission of millions of tons of CO₂.
In Europe, the countries with the highest steel recycling rates are:
- Netherlands (97%).
- Denmark (95%).
- Spain (85%).
Steel and its multiple lives
Each steel column we see in a construction has had several previous lives.
It may have been part of:
- A car.
- An appliance.
- A set of cutlery.
Thanks to recycling, steel constantly rebirths, driving a true circular economy and contributing to a more sustainable future.
