To help policymakers and the construction sector achieve decarbonisation and reduce emissions, a group of industry experts undertook a literature review aiming to understand how much of all ferrous scrap in circulation is successfully recycled, how this might change in the future, and what this means for the construction industry.
Steel decarbonisation is essential as the steel industry accounts for 7-9% of global carbon emissions, with some two billion tonnes of steel produced annually. Around half of this is used by the construction industry.
The paper recommends that policy, investment, and incentives must focus on “dual decarbonisation”: simultaneously decarbonising primary steelmaking that uses iron ore, as well as recycling scrap steel. It warns that focussing on recycling alone will be insufficient to decarbonise global steelmaking by 2050, as required by international law.
To decarbonise primary steelmaking, the paper calls on low- and zero-carbon iron production to ramp up rapidly.
To decarbonise secondary steelmaking, it says electricity grids must decarbonise, and scrap metals must be better sorted, to minimise energy use when recycling.
The report makes recommendations to designers/ specifiers and policymakers who all have a key role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions through the more sustainable use of construction steel.
A four-minute overview of the paper’s main findings
A four-minute overview of the paper’s main findings