It is not widely known how much the iron and steel industries are important for Cyprus. Steel is one of the prime used resources in the productive world. The use of this material is vast and in the modern iron and steel industry, steel is produced mainly from the mineral or the melting of scrap iron.
Steel has held a prominent position since the start of the industrial society. Due to its high strength and its ability to undergo a ‘plastic’ deformation before reaching breaking point it has complimented the technological development of our civilisation. Steel’s characteristics as mentioned have meant that it has a high usage in various applications. There are few materials that are as versatile and can be used in various mechanical processes without losing its characteristics or its resistance to stresses from external forces. For example a steel rope can withstand heavy loads without losing its flexibility.
Not only will steel not lose its characteristics it can also be completely recycled no matter what type of steel product it is once it has come to the end of its use as the current product. This basically means that the steel can be reused for an infinite number of times.
Due to its recyclability, steel is considered to be a ‘green’ material. The iron and steel sector of industry is one of the closest cycles to the concept of sustainable development. This is due to the high rates of steel’s reuse and recovery of its sub product as well as it being totally recyclable but most importantly to the environmental regulations placed on the industry.