As energy costs rise and carbon emissions continue to become an increasing concern, the way the construction industry works is changing for a more sustainable future. With the construction and operation of buildings being responsible for over half of the UK’s carbon emissions and water consumption, as well as a third of its landfill waste and a quarter of all raw materials used in the economy- sustainability is a significant factor.

The Need for a Shift towards Sustainable Change
With these huge volumes, sustainable development targets cannot be met without a concise shift to sustainable change in the procedure in which all buildings are designed and constructed. Furthermore, this shift needs to cross over into how these buildings are then operated, deconstructed and reused for new purposes.

The Role of Steel Construction
The construction industry is currently facing a crucial challenge in the drive to a circular economy as well as the national targets for greenhouse gas emissions both in the operation and construction of buildings. A challenge which the steel construction sector is playing a major part in overcoming.

Efficient Recycling properties
The advantage of structural steel work is that steel can be reused and recycled repeatedly without ever losing its quality as a building material. This unique characteristic gives all steel a high economic value at all stages of its life cycle which, unlike some other construction materials, ensures that it is routinely recovered and reused.

Because of this, the recovery infrastructure for steel recycling is considerably developed and efficient, having been in place for decades. The recovery rate at present from demolition sites in the UK are 99% for structural steelwork and 96% for all steel construction products – figures that far exceed those for any other construction material.