Taking a typical building or mechanical structure as an example, in order to achieve a 150-year structural life, if aluminum alloy is used, each ton of functional structure needs to emit 8.5 tons of CO2 in 150 years. if carbon steel is used, it only needs to emit 4.3 tons of CO2, while stainless steel is only 3.3 tons of CO2, and the super durability of stainless steel can reduce the whole life cycle cost of the product by about 30% compared to similar materials.
Undoubtedly, stainless steel has contributed to the significance of environmental protection. Stainless steel is a 100% recyclable material with no downcycling, and is one of the highest recyclable materials in the world. Minimal extraction (primary production) and maximum recycling (secondary production) are the core principles of sustainable resource management. The life cycle of a material can be quantified from production to efficiency in manufacturing, processing, use, and recycling.
According to the International Stainless Steel Alliance, Yale University Center for Industrial Economics and others in a quantitative analysis of stainless steel inventories and flow cycles in 51 countries around the world found that global stainless steel recycling increased by more than 30% between 2000 and 2005, with the growth driven primarily by the Chinese market.A recent study by B.K. Reck " A new study by B.K. Reck, "Integrated Multi-Level Recycling of Stainless Steel 2015," covering more than 50 countries and regions, found that the post-consumer material currently being recycled was put into use approximately 20 years ago. The average life of stainless steel used in construction and infrastructure is 50 years, 85% of which is recycled at the end of its life, 56% is used to make new stainless steel and 29% is used to make new carbon steel.
In other words, all stainless steel still in use is a valuable source of potential future renewable resources.