Let’s start with what post-consumer recycled steel actually is. It is steel that is re-entered into the production cycle after being used by a consumer (hence “post-consumer”). This steel would otherwise end up in a landfill. However, by using post-consumer recycled steel in our production, manufacturers (like us) can avoid wasting materials. We can give post-consumer materials new life and purpose. This way, we can reduce waste and not deplete the planet by tapping into new resources.

We want a world without disposable products? A bottle or cup that you can use forever is better than one that you throw away after just one use. To ensure that our products last a lifetime, we make them from 18/8 stainless steel. But we know that this is not enough. Traditional steel production is an energy-intensive and carbon-emitting process, and while Klean Kanteen is a certified carbon neutral company , we know that it is our responsibility to find alternative means of production that are the least harmful to the environment.

Steel is made by processing iron ore, the mining of which consumes vast amounts of energy and produces large amounts of gas emissions and water pollution. That’s the bad news. The good news—and the reason we’re moving to 90 percent post-consumer recycled steel—is that the recycling process for steel is much less damaging to the environment. In theory, every piece of steel in existence can exist forever, converted into one form or another, in perpetuity. Steel products can always be converted into other steel products, with relatively minimal need for new iron ore mining or new steel production.

So, if you’re asking yourself, “What’s in it for me?” by choosing 90 percent post-consumer recycled steel, you can be sure the answer is a safer, healthier environment. You’re reducing greenhouse gas emissions, cleaner soil and water, less steel going to landfills…

Recycled steel is found in dozens, if not hundreds, of products you use every day, and every steel product you use or encounter contains recycled steel (at least 28 percent of all steel is made up of recycled materials).

Coffee makers, cars, water pipes, air ducts, jewelry, appliances, hardware, kitchenware, beverage cans... if it has steel, it has recycled steel. But mostly, that's pre-consumer recycled steel. Klean Kanteen is committed to using certified 90 percent post-consumer steel.

Yes, absolutely! As we mentioned earlier, steel is 100% recyclable and retains its full strength no matter how many times it goes through the recycling process. This is essential for steel production because of the environmental implications: not only is it much more expensive to process iron ore into virgin steel, but it also takes much less energy to smelt recycled steel for use in new production projects. Making virgin steel is heavily dependent on fossil fuels, but recycling it can save 1.8 barrels of oil, 10.9 million BTUs, and 642 kWh of energy and 2.3 cubic meters of landfill space for every ton of steel recycled, according to Azo Materials.

You may be familiar with the process of “downcycling” in the recycling process, which is often used with paper and plastic products. For example, office paper is often recycled, but the wood pulp it is made from does not retain its strength during the process. It loses its quality, its strength decreases, and it is no longer suitable to be turned into more office paper. Instead, it will be downcycled into an inferior product, such as recycled paper towels or egg cartons.

However, due to the magnetic properties of the iron in steel, steel does not undergo downcycling: its quality does not degrade, even when it is melted down for reuse. A recycled steel panel can theoretically be reused to make a completely new panel, with no loss of quality! This is sometimes called the "infinite" process. In short: recycled steel is just as strong as new steel, no matter how many times it is recycled. Because it takes much less energy and fewer resources to recycle steel, it is highly recommended to use post-consumer steel.

In general, post-consumer recycling is important because of the new life cycle you give to products that have reached the end of their useful life. The classic example of recycling car tires illustrates how manufactured materials have more to offer even after they are no longer useful. A broken tire is no longer useful as a tire, but by repurposing it into hundreds of rubber bands, balls, erasers, or thousands of other products you can imagine, we can see the importance of recycling the tire “post-consumer.”

The big difference between the rubber in a tire (or office paper, for example) and steel is again the retention of quality and the ability to transform an old or post-consumer item into other high-quality items. The ability of steel to retain its strength through the recycling process, coupled with the environmental and economic benefits of using recycled materials, means that manufacturers can create high-quality products without creating new waste, further straining our resources, using excessive fossil fuels to produce new steel, or sacrificing quality.

When you see certified 90 percent post-consumer recycled steel in use, you can feel confident in its quality and also know that it was made with environmental responsibility in mind. And given that recycled steel is such a widely used material around the world, it becomes clear that using post-consumer recycled materials has a major impact on reducing waste and energy use. When consumers purchase products made with post-consumer recycled materials, they help increase demand for recycled goods, reducing the need to produce more virgin materials and reducing waste.