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Recycling

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We recognise the importance of a circular economy and are ramping up our recycling strategy. When our products reach their end of life, we aim to dismantle them, recycling as much as possible into new applications. This will play a key part in reducing both our carbon emissions and our waste.

Our target

By 2025, we will include 10% Secondary Raw Materials (SRM) in refractories. This will prevent approximately 150,000 tonnes of material from going to landfill.

 

Our approach

Our recycling strategy comprises three key elements:

  • Establishing on-site recycling solutions for used refractories at customer sites
  • Setting up recycling facilities at our own production sites
  • Developing recipes that include recycled content in a wide array of products

We are making solid progress in all three areas. For example:

  • In North America, we have launched our first on-site customer recycling solution.
  • In South America, we have expanded our recycling capacity with a new semi-automated recycling operation in Coronel Fabriciano. Further investments in Contagem has allowed us to boost recycled content in our products.
  • In Europe, we have opened our first dedicated recycling facility in Veitsch, Austria.
  • In India, our new production facility in Cuttack has on-site recycling operations.
  • In China, we have increased use of recycled materials and started our own recycling activities to ensure a local source of recycled materials.

 

As we increase the amount we recycle, we work to reduce waste. Most of the waste we produce is non-hazardous ceramic and mineral waste from production sites and mines. We have established waste teams in priority plants to identify how to maximise the reuse or recycling potential of this waste.

Waste by type

2019

 

Ceramic and mineral waste hazardous

         14.918

14%

Other hazardous waste

           2.798

3%

Ceramic and mineral waste non-hazardous

         70.818

66%

Other non-hazardous waste

         18.472

17%

Total waste

       107.006

100%