Responsible environmental resource management for various products means considering the overall impact on the environment, including the manufacture, construction and ultimate disposal of the materials available for use. Long renowned for its high functional performance, steel is increasingly being recognized as a low impact (or green) material as well. While applicable to all steel products, this can clearly be seen in the residential housing market, where light-gauge steel framing is attracting new attention for its unique environmental benefits. Steel's attraction begins within the steelmaking process itself. This is because old steel is a necessary ingredient in the steelmaking process. The use of steel scrap not only assures a minimum of 25 percent recycled content, but also lowers the impact on natural resources. In addition to steel's recycled content, steel is infinitely recyclable. Accumulated leftover pieces of steel framing are easily recycled through a local iron and steel scrap processor. Since the steel members are normally pre-cut for the job site according to building specifications, and there are no reject pieces due to warping or some other irregularity, there is little remnant steel scrap for an individual home site-less than a five-gallon pail-full. While the structure is in place, the steel will not rot or warp or otherwise gap or settle, reducing air infiltration and thus long-term heating and cooling costs. And many years later when a steel-framed home needs to be demolished, the steel framing may be recovered for recycling. Steel framing is just one of many environmentally-beneficial applications for steel. Products such as automobiles, containers and appliances also enjoy steel's strength, durability and recyclability. This paper will touch on each of these points, as well as introduce recent studies concerning steel's life cycle.
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