How do metals become sustainable?

Metals, means of human progress for over five millennia, are with one third of all industrial greenhouse gas emissions the single largest cause of global warming. Growth in energy, construction, industry, sustainable technologies and transport will even double demand over the next 25 years. At the Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung we are conducting basic research to solve this problem of the century. We present two approaches, one is 'green' steel production, using hydrogen, plasma and electrolysis, and the other one is aluminium alloys, which carry the 'gene' of unlimited recyclability.