Recyclability
Ovako steel products can be 100 % recycled, which means it can be re-melted to produce material of the same quality an infinite amount of times. The iron atoms are indestructible, and therefore steel can be produced from recycled steel without compromising the quality. For every newly produced ton of steel using recycled material 1100 kg of iron ore and 600 kg of coal can be conserved as well as energy savings of 74 %, compared with the same process using raw materials.
Recycled Content
Ovako products consist of an average of 97,2 % recycled steel scrap, which is a very high content. If just considering the source for iron, it is from over 99 % recycled steel scrap. Ovako mills recycle their own steel scrap, as well as scrap from downstream manufacturing industries and end-of-life products, to conserve energy, emissions and natural resources. By using recycled steel, the Earth’s valuable resources are conserved, no virgin material has to be used and it diverts useful materials from going to landfills. This makes us an important part of the circular economy.
Calculation Method
Ovako calculate recycled content according to European standard EN45557 and ISO14021 which provides a general methodology for assessing the proportion of recycled material. In accordance with standard EN45557 and ISO14021 and like many others, Ovako has chosen to include post-consumer scrap, scrap from other producing industries, shavings and return steel and to not include what is defined as home scrap. Home scrap is scrap up to and including finished ingots/billets in the steel works. The part that is not counted as recycled materials is mainly alloys.
A statement on recycled content and recyclability for Ovako products.
