For Gerdau, recycling is how we do business. Approximately 40% of the production at the Brazilian plants uses scrap. Consequently, the industrial process has a reduced environmental impact. At the same time, scrap collection generates income for a chain of over 2,000 small and medium-sized entrepreneurs throughout the country, dedicated to this activity.

Recycling is also part of the final stage of the industrial process, with the reuse of by-products generated during steel production activities (see the section on Soil).