Circular Steel in Scotland

Steel is a strategically important material within the Scottish economy and is embodied within its stocks of buildings, infrastructure, and many different products. As a highly recyclable material, steel has the potential to achieve high levels of circularity, and there is an active, global market for steel scrap. As a high-performance material (e.g., durable and strong), steel is expected to be in high demand to contribute to the building of renewables capacity as part of the energy transition.

Circular Steel in Scotland report published in 2023 considers the landscape and opportunities for steel scrap generation in Scotland and its subsequent treatment, and to explore what opportunities there may be for increasing the circularity of the steel within Scotland. The research identifies and maps the different actors within the steel recycling value chain, with a large network of steel processors consolidating, sorting, and fragmentising steel scrap within Scotland, before export for recycling.