Ecology, efficiency, economy: all the advantages of recycled steel, with the certainty of VIPA quality

Currently the global scenario is characterised by an increasing awareness of environmental issues and thus the concept of sustainability has taken centre stage. The impact of strongly desired green policies, implemented by the giants of the western world, the USA and European Union in particular, is radically and rapidly changing the industrial sector, incentivising virtuous practices such as conversion to renewable energies, the elimination of plastic packaging, and low environmental impact production technologies.

An example of the latter is the responsible processing of ferrous materials, with a particularly interesting solution: scrap iron recycling. It appears that this practice reconciles production efficiency and environmental protection, opening new sustainable horizons for the future.

Unlike the melting of iron ore in a blast furnace, which generates high environmental costs due to emissions produced by ore extraction, refinement and transport to blast furnaces, the recycling of ferrous materials is a low environmental impact technology because it reuses end-of-life jointed metal pieces, without producing slag or waste products. Electric arc furnaces are used in this process to remelt scrap from the automotive sector, waste from steel production and metal parts of obsolete products.

In terms of energy, remelting scrap to produce steel is more efficient than starting from iron ore. Of course in an ideal world the gap between both technologies would be enormous, however this is far from the case, due to disparities between countries that produce and consume scrap. Steel production through recycling is still by far more preferable for many different reasons: energy efficiency, value for money and environmental sustainability. Moreover, as demand for steel continues to rise, ore resources are dwindling, making this alternative to the traditional production process increasingly necessary.

Steel production from recycling has risen sharply and currently accounts for 40% of global production, with China in the lead as the biggest producer, and the European Union and United States as major users. It is obvious that this percentage is destined to rise in the future, because steel production from recycling is a crucial step along the steel industry’s path towards sustainability.

Aware of the urgent need to adopt sustainable practices in industrial production, VIPA is committed to using steel obtained from recycling as a raw material of its fixing solutions. Thanks to the rigorous selection of materials and evolved production processes, VIPA is able to guarantee the excellent quality of its products and the utmost attention to environmental sustainability. This is why VIPA is the ideal partner for companies looking to invest in a sustainable future.