7 opportunities for the metal and metal products sector
thinkstep-anz
We enable companies to succeed sustainably. We are a certified B Corp with an approved Science Based Target.
We partnered with Aurecon and the Sustainable Business Network to deliver the report for New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment . The report highlights how the manufacturing sector can benefit from circular economy approaches.
This is a series of seven posts we’re showcasing the opportunities for seven subsectors of New Zealand’s manufacturing industry.
1. Increasing circularity of metals
Enhance the reuse and recycling of metals to reduce reliance on raw materials. This includes designing for durability and disassembly and improving sorting to reduce the loss of critical minerals during recycling.
2. Using the electric arc furnace
Utilise the electric arc furnace at New Zealand Steel, which is expected to come online in 2027. This will increase the demand for scrap metal and support domestic recycling efforts.
3. Recovering value from high-priced commodities
Explore opportunities to recover valuable materials such as vanadium and titanium from waste streams and used products.
4. Managing supply risks for critical minerals
With the upcoming publication of New Zealand’s critical minerals list, focus on managing supply risks through circular economy practices such as extending the service life of products, reusing materials, remanufacturing products and separating materials for recycling.
5. Reducing direct emissions
Continue efforts to reduce direct emissions from metal production processes by transitioning from fossil fuels to electricity and implementing lower-emission technologies.
6. Working as an industry
Foster greater collaboration within the industry and with external recyclers to share best practices and enhance metal circularity.
7. Sustainable practices in non-ferrous metals
Suppliers of non-ferrous metals are already sourcing materials from recycled stocks. This practice can be expanded and supported by new technologies and policies.
Read the report written by thinkstep-anz in partnership with Aurecon and the Sustainable Business Network.
Download the summary report here: https://lnkd.in/gpz5fkMa
Husband, father, gardener
2 个月I have some questions about the circular economy that nag me and I would love to see tackled by one of your experts. 1. Is circular economy just the new term for green growth? It's stated ambition is to gradually decouple growth from the consumption of finite resources. As no product or service is entirely circular currently to implement the CE at a global level would take un unimaginable amount of materials and energy to build out phase 1 of all the products and their factories and machinery. And then add growth to that and more materials and energy is required. 2. It's impossible to build renewables (actually non-renewable renewable energy harvesting technologies) without fossil fuels. There's no example of renewables building themselves. Therefore a CE powered by renewables is a impossible pipe dream. 3. The CE does not account for entropy. A CE powered by “renewables” directly violates the second law of thermodynamics. Since according to this law, overall entropy must increase with every round of recycling, we will always lose a certain percentage of the material (much like “the devil’s cut”), and a tremendous amount of energy in the process — none of which can be replaced by using “renewable” energy.