Should steel be specified by recycled content?

Recycled content is a driver to encourage recycling of materials which would otherwise be disposed of. However, it is not a suitable driver for metals that are already recovered and recycled close to their maximum.

Specifying recycled content for steel does not have any beneficial environmental effect, but can distort the market and result in unnecessary transport costs and emissions. All steel is recyclable and will be multicycled many times without any artificial stimulus.