How the global steel sector enacts responsible practices in the production process

The steel industry takes special care to maximize the use of resources in order to achieve all round sustainability. The steel industry practices sustainable practices at every level possible, minimizing waste and finding new uses for by-products.

Recycling steel is another way that the steel industry brings sustainability into practice while procuring raw material. Steel is infinitely recyclable and recycled steel is an important raw material for the global steel industry. Approximately 600 million tonnes of steel were recycled in the year 2016, coming from demolished structures, old vehicles and machinery.

Despite best attempts to ingrain responsible practices at every level, the steel industry does face certain obstacles in this endeavor. Adverse weather conditions and accidents can be extremely negative to concentrated steel supply structures. These factors affect areas that are hubs for mining and transport, thus disrupting 2 operations instead of just one.

The overall quality of procured raw materials has also declined since the 2000s, especially iron ore and metallurgical coal quality. The degradation has caused steel manufacturers to find new ways of matching quality standards of the past. This also pressurizes the optimizing of environmental efficiency across the sector. However, the development of new technology and techniques has allowed steelmakers to meet stringent environmental standards while maintaining a high standard of quality for the products.