NIST Report: Strategies for Building a Sustainable Metals Infrastructure

Agency Underscores Importance of Standards for Reuse and Recycling

A recent report from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) reveals key strategies for creating a more resilient and sustainable metals processing economy to meet future industry demands while supporting U.S. industrial competitiveness and national security. Among the highlights, the agency underscores the need to improve standards for metals reuse and recycling.

The September 2025 report, Material Challenges in Developing a Sustainable Metal Processing Infrastructure, is based on a 2024 NIST workshop that brought together government experts, academia, and industry to identify opportunities for establishing a sustainable metals industry.

Recycling and Reuse—and the Need for Robust Standards

When it comes to recycling and reuse, the NIST report highlights the need for standards and certification frameworks. “As manufacturers increasingly integrate recycled feedstocks into products, the development of qualification and certification protocols becomes critical,” the report’s authors noted. New certification programs can help ensure that products made with recycled content meet performance standards, which could expand the market for recycled materials, NIST reports. To that end, standards can make the separation of metals for recycling more efficient, ultimately reducing industry costs.

Five Key Strategies

The report highlights five strategies to help industry tackle with current challenges:

• Advance measurement science for sustainable metals manufacturing, including new separation techniques for recycling.
• Develop the technical basis to support standards development, including the data needed to create or improve performance-based standards for highly recycled metals, such as aluminum and steel.
• Enhance data and modeling tools for addressing supply risks and designing products for improved recyclability.
• Promote workforce development and education by establishing training programs and creating partnerships between universities, labs, and industry.
• Convene stakeholders to establish collaborations that foster knowledge-sharing and innovation.

Further Activities in the Standards Community

Stakeholders across the ANSI federation are taking action to support sustainability across metals industries. The Aluminum Association’s “Pathways to Decarbonization: A North American Aluminum Roadmap” highlights potential strategies to dramatically reduce carbon emissions in the North American (United States and Canada) aluminum industry, noting that this region is uniquely positioned to lead the way on global aluminum decarbonization.

In the international standards landscape, ISO 59014:2024, Environmental management and circular economy — Sustainability and traceability of the recovery of secondary materials — Principles, requirements and guidance, offers a standardized approach to sustainable secondary material recovery, so that materials including metals re-entering the economy comply with best environmental and social practices. The standard was developed by ISO Technical Committee (TC) 207, Subcommittee (SC) 5. The American Society for Quality (ASQ) administers the ANSI-accredited U.S. Technical Advisory Groups (TAGs) to TC 207 and SC 5, carrying U.S. positions forward to these committees.

Learn more in the NIST news item: Building a Sustainable Metals Infrastructure