Steel recycling and sustainability

If you work in the construction industry, you would know that sustainability is a key driver through the entire building life cycle.

But if you’re purchasing your steel for hobby supplies or one of the many other multitude of uses for steel and metal, you might not realise just how much of a consideration sustainability and steel recycling are in the production and use of steel.

At Edcon Steel, we’re proud to be part of an industry where sustainability is a focus and to partner with businesses who are leading the way in creating sustainable solutions for the future.

One of those businesses is InfraBuild. InfraBuild supplies a range of steel to Edcon, much of which is made from steel that is recovered and is recycled right here in Sydney.

The steel recycling journey

InfraBuild is one of Australia’s largest scrap metal recycling businesses and specialises in the safe handling, collection and processing of more than 1.4 million tonnes of ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metal every year.

Interestingly, the national capture rate of steel into recycling programs is very high, at around 90%.

“We are able to get around 95% of that scrap back into new products,” explains InfraBuild Construction Market Manager David Bell. “There is very little material loss.  We are able to take what would otherwise become waste in landfill and turn it back into a resource to have a new life.”

There are so many benefits to metal and steel recycling. It not only reduces waste but also reduces the impact the industry has on the environment.

Other than being better for the environment, choosing sustainable materials can also be good for business. The Green Building Council of Australia’s (GBCA) Green Star Rating is one good example.

This is a voluntary scheme that rates the sustainability of a building project against a set of defined criteria.

When it comes to choosing the materials for a building, in order to achieve a high Green Star rating, you should consider a number of factors, including the life cycle impacts of the material and the selection of responsible building materials.

Where a high Green Star rating is something you are looking to achieve, selecting materials that come from a sustainable supply chain is one step you should consider.

Further information

Australian steel manufacturer InfraBuild is proud of their efforts and their website has plenty of further information about their efforts in the environmental space.

If you’re interested in learning more about sustainability, check out:

• InfraBuild’s range of sustainability resources
• The Green Building Council of Australia’s online courses and webinars