How sustainable is metal?

80% of the elements on earth are metals

Many metals and semi-metals are essential for living organisms. Their various forms of bonding and oxidation levels play an important role in the course of many metabolic reactions. Of course, not all metals are essential and can be toxic even in small doses. This includes lead, cadmium, mercury and thallium.

What does environmentally friendly and sustainable actually mean?

When a product or material is described as environmentally friendly or sustainable, there can be different reasons. A product or material can be environmentally friendly if little energy is used in its production. A low CO2 value during production is also a good criterion.

A material or product is also environmentally friendly if it is highly recyclable. Sustainability in turn means that the materials have a long service life and are very resistant.

Can stainless steel be recycled?

A stainless steel product usually consists more than 50% recycled stainless steel. Stainless steel and many other metals such as aluminum, copper and messing are 100% recyclable. By melting it down, the material can be used again and again without any loss of quality.

It is also important to mention that the energy consumption when recycling stainless steel is lower than when the material was originally manufactured.

In terms of recyclability and service life, stainless steel is a sustainable material, although a lot of energy is used to manufacture and process it. After all, stainless steel products are useful objects that, at best, are very durable. The same applies to the durable metals brass and copper. They can also be completely recycled with relatively little energy consumption.

If you dispose of precious metals correctly, you actively contribute to the sustainable use of the material and reduce the CO2 footprint.