What Business Wouldn't Boast About Being Green?
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If your business uses stainless steel, you're using one of the world's most recycled materials By Patrick WhitewayNickel Magazine, March 2007 -- The European public, for the most part, is largely unaware that steel is as recycled as other commonly-used materials like paper, glass and aluminum, according to a survey by the International Stainless Steel Forum (ISSF). The same misperception probably prevails in the other large markets for stainless steel such as Asia and the Americas. Fact is that austenitic stainless steels, because of their valuable nickel content, were recycled long before it became popular for other materials to be recycled. More than 80% of all stainless steel products are recycled. A typical stainless steel product made of S30400 stainless steel contains 60% recycled material. Not many other commonly-used materials can say that. To better inform the public about stainless steels' green credentials, the Nickel Institute and the ISSF have launched a campaign consisting of print advertisements and online videos. The campaign is designed so that businesses can take, without charge, the advertising materials and use them to educate their customers. For example, three short videos are available online for downloading and distribution. Also, simple stainless steel recycling logos have been developed for use by businesses in their product brochures or as stickers placed directly on products. The logos state: "Recycled for Lasting Value." The advertising campaign stresses that recycled stainless steel is just as strong, ductile, and corrosion-resistant as stainless steel made from virgin materials (and it remains just as recyclable). It may be because users are not in the habit of putting kitchen sinks and the like into their curb-side recycle bins that they don't normally think of stainless steel as a highly recyclable material. Another reason could be that stainless steel products are so durable they have much longer useful lives than paper, glass and aluminum products. Indeed, the durability of stainless steel products is another green credential for businesses to communicate to their customers. Patrick Whiteway is Editor of Nickel Magazine. PHOTOS: Nickel Institute
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