We are all consumers. We buy things, we travel, we heat our homes and so on. When it comes to anything bought or consumed, Stena enters the picture. The materials that circulate in products in society are becoming increasingly important raw materials for global manufacturing. For example, 40 percent of all the steel in the world is already produced from recycled material. When it comes to paper, the figure is over 50 percent. In other words, recycling is already an important cog in helping society to conserve resources.
The Stena Metall Group recycles around 5 million tons of waste a year. Our goal is to always do this using the most sensible methods available. We develop new solutions and innovations together with customers, authorities and others we work with. Our tonnage in 2009/2010 eliminated 8.7 million tons of CO2 emissions. That's how much emissions would have increased if nothing had been recycled and instead been replaced by new raw materials extracted from mines, forests and oil fields. These gains correspond to the emissions from 1.3 million flights around the world.
Recycling has another important effect. We prevent Freon, PCBs and other hazardous materials in old products from spreading and harming humans and the environment. Instead, we collect these substances and render them harmless in closed systems.
Our digital climate wheel gives a quick overview of the environmental benefits from recycling a number of commonplace products and compares the impact of several common modes of transport. You can also read our 10 examples of how our recycling benefits the environment.