Material Efficiency

Material Efficiency

The manufacture of iron and steel by necessity generates a significant volume of by-products and waste materials. The beneficial reuse or recycling of these materials remains a focus area for the Company.

Iron and steelmaking processes produce materials such as blast furnace and steelmaking slag, dust, sludge and used refractory bricks. Many of these by-products are utilised in a range of innovative ways. Some of these materials, such as process dusts and sludges containing iron can be recycled in the iron or steelmaking process.

Other by-products are sold externally. Slag, for example, is used extensively in the cement industry and in the construction of roads.

Material efficiency is a measure of how efficiently a company uses raw materials to produce its products and by-products, in order to minimise waste. In recent years, the Company’s material efficiency has been consistently close to the optimal material efficiency ratio of 100 per cent.

Despite this achievement, the Company is committed to continuously improving its environmental footprint by reducing waste to landfill and optimising material re-use and recycling.

BlueScope Steel is actively involved in a number of industry associations which are working towards effective by-product management solutions. In particular, the Company has been working with other members of the World Steel Association with the goal of facilitating an increase in the material efficiency of the steel industry worldwide.