FUTURE FOCUS

It is important to distinguish resource renewability and material renewability. The materials such as wood which do not retain its properties when recycled, due to degradation are called non-renewable materials. In that case, steel is a renewable material as they have the ability to retain their metal properties when recycled.

This ability of steel to retain its properties has a considerable positive impact on the environment. However, based on a practical point of view, the amount of environmental benefit through steel recycling greatly depends upon the recycling rate. The higher the recycling rate, the greater will be the benefit to the environment. For example, one tonne of steel recycled 20 times with a recycling rate of 85% enables the production of approximately 6.5 tonnes of steel with the same quantity of primary raw materials. Moreover, with the 20 cycles of recycling, over 9 tonnes of CO2 emissions could be avoided. Have a look at the graphical representation for more info.

THE DEMAND:

Despite the increase in recycling rates these days, the appetite for steel still continues to be intense as before. Hence it is high time to have a look at the demand rate and steel scrap availability for the future needs.

The increase in demand of steel is expected to sky rocket in the next decade. It is predicted that the immense demand growth for steel will outpace the supply with ease in the forthcoming 10 years.

This increase in steel demand in the future should be met with the supply of steel that is recycled from the scrap. Hence it is very much important to be aware of the availability of steel scrap.

The statistical data shown below will give you a clear picture about the steel scrap availability till 2015. The data shown here are the predictions and not accurate values.

STAINLESS STEEL SCRAP AVAILABILITY IN ASIA:

The actual scrap steel availability in Asia has fallen down to a considerable amount, following the Asian financial crisis. However, the availability of steel scrap has followed a constant increase afterwards.

STEEL SCRAP RESERVE IN ASIA

The data shown here corresponds to the steel scrap reserve in Asian countries- India, Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Vietnam and Bangladesh.

STAINLESS STEEL SCRAP AVAILABILITY IN UNITED STATES:

STEEL SCRAP RESERVE IN UNITED STATES:

STAINLESS STEEL SCRAP AVAILABILITY IN EUROPE

SCRAP RESERVE IN EUROPE

STEEL SCRAP AVAILABILITY IN JAPAN

STEEL SCRAP RESERVE IN JAPAN:

STAINLESS STEEL SCRAP AVAILABILITY IN CHINA

STEEL SCRAP RESERVE IN CHINA

GLOBAL STEEL SCRAP RESERVE

The representation shows the Global steel scrap reserve. The data till the year 2006 are the actual values. The predictions are made from the year 2006-2015

The increase in demand for steel, in conjunction with the long service life of an average steel product means that for a foreseeable future, attention should be focused in improving the recycling rates inorder to maximize the utilization of all available scrap.