Thursday, June 30, 2011


METALS FOR BUILDINGS
European metals alliance for recyclable & sustainable buildings





Industry establishes the “METALS FOR BUILDINGS” European alliance and calls on EU legislators to consider end-of-life recycling rate of building products as a resource saving indicator

Brussels, 29.06.2011


Today saw the launch of the METALS FOR BUILDINGS alliance, which brings together 9 European Metals Associations active in the building sector to promote the unique strengths of metal products for recyclable & sustainable buildings.

"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.

"Current EU initiatives, standards and criteria mostly refer to the recycled content of materials, a very common but not sufficient indicator of resource saving." added Patrick de Schrynmakers, EAA's Secretary General. "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.

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