NIST: Building a sustainable metals infrastructure

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) published a report identifying strategies for developing a more efficient, sustainable and resilient U.S. metals processing infrastructure, where metals are used and reused more efficiently throughout the economy.

The report, Material Challenges in Developing a Sustainable Metal Processing Infrastructure, is based on a NIST workshop held in July 2024. It highlights key challenges that must be addressed to achieve this goal, including a lack of robust standards for recycled content and supply chain vulnerabilities for critical materials.

Metals processing covers the entire material life cycle, including mining, alloy design, manufacturing, reuse and recycling. Making metals processing more sustainable and resilient against supply chain disruptions and resource scarcity is key to promoting U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness while strengthening economic and national security.

Read more at NIST