Perceptive Prologue, Promulgating Policy Pleas

The Bureau of International Recycling has sparked critical discourse on the future of green steel by publishing its latest position paper on 11 July 2025. BIR strongly cautions that current “sliding scale” or “benchmarking” approaches could wrongly classify high-emission virgin steel as green, while overlooking genuinely lower-carbon electric arc furnace steel made from recycled content. This, the organisation contends, could misdirect incentives, funding, and market credibility.

Circular Clarion Call, Championing Carbon Cuts

Susie Burrage OBE, President of BIR, highlights that steel produced from recycled materials via electric arc furnace technology can slash emissions by up to 74% compared to traditional blast furnace production. She insists that policymakers must ensure fair recognition of recycling’s potential, not through special treatment but via accurate measurement of total lifecycle emissions, so that recycling’s real environmental benefits drive decarbonisation.

Rigorous Rebuttal, Rejecting Restrictive Rules

BIR raises alarms over potential trade barriers that could limit the international flow of recycled steel. Such restrictions, it argues, might disrupt supply chains, lower recycling rates in exporting nations, and delay the transition to circular steelmaking worldwide. Arnaud Brunet underscores that global trade remains essential to meet climate targets, and restricting it undermines broader sustainability goals.

Procurement Plea, Promoting Public Projects

A central recommendation is reforming public procurement policies to require minimum recycled content in steel used across infrastructure, transport, and construction projects. BIR suggests that when governments actively support circular solutions, industry investment follows, helping scale low-carbon steelmaking pathways more swiftly and credibly.

Inclusive Imperative, Inviting Industry Insight

BIR also calls for policymakers to include recyclers and circular economy experts in setting standards and defining what truly qualifies as green steel. By involving industry voices, BIR believes policies will better reflect real-world practices, technical possibilities, and environmental impacts rather than purely theoretical models or historical production patterns.

Strategic Standards, Stressing Science & Substance

The organisation urges that definitions of green steel rely on measurable, science-based data covering total lifecycle emissions, instead of simply focusing on feedstock origin or production method. This, they argue, ensures transparency, prevents greenwashing, and better directs incentives and public funds to genuinely sustainable production.

Advocacy Agenda, Articulating Actionable Aims

To catalyse progress, BIR outlines five policy actions: set standards on actual emissions data, reject export restrictions on recycled steel, incentivise low-carbon circular steel, improve collection and sorting infrastructure, and include recyclers in policymaking. According to Burrage, only through comprehensive, balanced measures can the industry contribute fully to climate targets.

Trading Tenets, Targeting Tangible Transition

By reaffirming the vital role of international trade and lifecycle emissions accountability, BIR presents a holistic roadmap for green steel. Rather than short-term fixes, BIR champions durable, data-backed frameworks to ensure that recycling is both recognised and rewarded in the global journey to decarbonise steel.

Key Takeaways:

• BIR urges lifecycle emissions-based definitions for green steel to ensure real environmental impact.

• The organisation calls for removing trade barriers on recycled steel to support global decarbonisation.

• Public procurement should favour steel with higher recycled content, driving circular economy growth.