An average Europe-wide recycling rate of 75% was achieved for steel packaging in 2013 – up by 1% from 2012 and marking a record year to date.
The industry is working to reach a voluntary objective of an 80% recycling rate by 2020. A tonne of recycled steel saves over one and a half times its weight in CO2 emissions, over twice its weight in raw materials and uses 70% less energy than producing steel from virgin sources.
The Association of European Producers of Steel for Packaging (APEAL), who collate the data, say the rate is the outcome of over 20 years’ continuous improvement by the steel packaging sector, during which rates have more than tripled. APEAL is a federation of four multi-national producers of steel for packaging, representing 95% of European production.
Alexander Mohr, Secretary General of APEAL, commented: “This data shows that the industry is working as hard as ever to reach our voluntary objective of an 80% recycling rate by 2020. Steel recycles forever, with no loss of material quality and is easily recovered from any waste stream thanks to its magnetic properties.”
Chris Taylor, Commercial Manager at Clarity said:
“Recent performance in the UK backs up these findings from APEAL. We’ve seen plenty of strong quarterly recycling and export data reports for steel. Even when the industry is expecting a lower return and prices rise as a result of this expectation (as we saw in Q1 this year), a further strong showing has seen PRN prices soften once more. Steel obligated producers that I am talking to are feeling comfortable about compliance in 2015.”
To find out how we can help you meet PRN compliance obligations and contribute to increasing the rate of steel recycling contact us for a quote from our team on 0845 129 7177
