Recycling steel could give lifeline to the industry, report says

Vast quantities of carbon would be saved if the UK moved away from primary production

Recycling steel could provide a much-needed lifeline for the UK's troubled steel industry, a new study has found, and have the added benefit of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Two-thirds of the steel currently used is made from primary production, and most of the remainder comes from off-cuts of the steel-making process, rather than recycled goods. The UK does not currently use all the scrap steel produced in the country, but global stocks of recyclable steel are expected to rise sharply in the coming decades.