The Truth About Recycled Steel

Steel is one of the most recycled materials in the world. But not all “recycled steel” is the same.

What Is Recycled Steel?

Recycled steel is steel produced using scrap metal instead of virgin raw materials like iron ore. By melting scrap in an electric arc furnace (EAF), producers can avoid the high-emission chemical reaction needed to reduce iron ore in a blast furnace. This makes recycled steel far less carbon intensive.

Types of Scrap

Not all scrap is equal. There are three main categories:

• Post-consumer scrap – Steel recovered from products that have reached the end of their life (cars, buildings, appliances).
• Pre-consumer scrap – Steel waste generated during manufacturing processes, such as offcuts or defective products.
• Internal scrap – Scrap produced and reused within the same plant during production. As creating some waste is inevitable, reusing it ensures it doesn’t end up in a landfill.

Post-consumer scrap has the greatest environmental benefit, as it extends the life cycle of materials and reduces demand for virgin resources. Internal scrap, while recycled, is simply reprocessed steel that never left the factory.

Misleading Statements to Watch Out For

Unfortunately, “recycled” can mean very different things depending on the producer. Common greenwashing tactics include:

• “100% of our steel is made with recycled steel scrap” – Sounds great, right? But read it again. This statement means all the steel they produce contains some amount of scrap, not that the steel itself is 100% scrap based. Always check the actual percentage of scrap.
• “100% recycled steel” – In practice, achieving 100% is impossible, as alloying elements are needed to achieve the required chemical composition. Such claims are usually based on mass balancing, where the recycled content is averaged or allocated across different products. In other cases, the statement is overstated and then quietly qualified or corrected in footnotes or small print, diluting its meaning and misleading consumers.
• Blast furnace “recycled” steel – In a blast furnace, only a small portion of iron ore can be replaced with scrap. Producers then assign this recycled input to specific end products on paper, creating what is often called a “balance sheet recycling product.” In reality, the actual recycled content of the steel is very low, but marketing claims make it appear as though the product contains far more recycled material than it does.
  Even with this substitution, emissions remain higher than EAF production.

Recycled vs. Recyclable

Some producers advertise that their steel is 100% recyclable. That’s true. But also completely meaningless, as all steel is recyclable and always has been. This claim is simply a distraction, not a green innovation.
What actually matters is whether the steel is recycled, how much recycled material it contains, and how it is produced.

What to Look for

• Scrap ratio – The percentage of recycled content, broken down clearly.
• Type of scrap used – More post-consumer scrap means greater environmental benefit.
• Production method – EAF is far cleaner than blast furnace production.
• Carbon footprint – Verified data in an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD).
• Grade and form – Ensure the carbon footprint data matches the actual steel you’re buying.

Our Definition of Recycled Steel

We believe recycled steel means steel produced from recycled steel scrap as the primary raw material, without the use of iron ore. All our steel is made this way.

While we have to add some pure alloying elements to our steel products to guarantee the required chemical composition, we minimise the use of virgin raw materials by carefully sorting and selecting our steel scrap to come as close as possible to the desired composition with recycled material.

This is why our carbon footprint is consistently lower than industry averages and comparable to many “green steel” brands.

Not all “recycled” steel is created equal. Marketing claims can hide low scrap ratios, high-emission production methods, or misleading definitions. By knowing what to look for, you can make informed decisions and avoid greenwashing.