Why we love brass as a highly circular material for our jewellery
Brass has the capacity to be recycled an infinite number of times which has significant environmental and economic advantages.
As a Copper-based alloy that does not lose its chemical or physical properties in the recycling process, brass present many environmental advantages:
Recycling Brass requires less energy than other metals.
The recycling process for brass is less energy-intensive as compared to aluminium and steel but also, brass yields a smaller carbon footprint. The ability to reuse brass from recycled materials is a tribute to an industry that is environmentally conscious regarding its use of natural resources.
It also is significantly part of the circularity economy.
The entire economy of the brass industry is dependent on the economic recycling of any surplus products. There is a wide range of brass materials made for a large variety of applications. To use the most suitable and low cost feedstock for making components gives the most economic value.
A superior recyclability
The manufacture of brass right across the world is highly dependent on the recycling of scrap brass and copper. This makes brass one of the most recycled metals in the world. Much of this culture of recycling is driven by the fact the producing new / fresh brass is significantly more expensive and is therefore uneconomical to produce on large scale. Raw material cost is only part of the overall cost picture, and brass turnings can be reclaimed for 75-85% of the original value.
In addition, when comparing the recycle process of brass to that of other metals such as steel or aluminium, it can be seen that brass is significantly more energy efficient. Brass can be recycled many times over without diminishing the composition so it means that the recycling process can continue tie and again, thus making the metal highly sustainable.
This offsets the off-the-shelf price of brass which may sometimes be higher than alternative materials. The unmatched secondary value of brass scrap creates an advantageous net material cost for customers compared to alternative materials. The superior machinability of brass also means higher productivity and lower per-part cost. It is a cost-effective and very sustainable and reusable material choice.