New metals alliance
Metals For Buildings is the recently launched European metals alliance for recyclable and sustainable buildings.
It brings together nine European Metals Associations, including the European Lead Sheet Association (Elsia), that are active in the building sector, in a bid to promote the unique strengths of metal products for recyclable and sustainable buildings. Metals For Buildings represents European companies involved in primary metal production, downstream manufacturing and recycled metal production.
“Today's virgin metals are the recycled metals of tomorrow,” said Gordon Moffat, Eurofer’s director general. “Metals provide society with a material that is 100% recyclable without loss of properties, and as a result, they help minimize the impact on the earth's resources.”
In that sense, the use of metals should be considered as an investment, and not as pure consumption. Metal scrap collection and recycling from the demolition or renovation of buildings is already a well-established business activity thanks to the high intrinsic financial value of metal scrap. A long lifetime, a high secondary value, efficient recovery, low recycling costs and a perpetual cycle of re-use make metals sustainable materials of the future.
"Current EU initiatives, standards and criteria mostly refer to the recycled content of materials, a very common but insufficient indicator of resource saving," Patrick de Schrynmakers, the European Aluminium Association's Secretary General, said. "Some products may have a high recycled content, but may not be recyclable a second time because of unacceptable loss of properties. Metals, in contrast, are recyclable again and again without loss of properties."
Metals For Buildings calls on EU legislators to address the unique attributes of metal building products and their inherent value for future generations, by including end-of-life recycling in all studies.
David Wilson, secretary of Elsia, said: "Sustainability regulations should not be just about where a material comes from; they must also include consideration of where a material goes to after use. EU legislators should not ignore the fact that metals have very high rates of recycling. In the case of lead sheet for building, 100% comes from recycled material and over 95% goes back into the recycling loop – you can't get much more sustainable than that."
