The EU’s metallurgical infrastructure is a cornerstone of the EU Green Deal and the Agenda 2030 realization

The European metallurgical industries are the enablers for the realization of the goals of the EU Green Deal and the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development. The realization of these goals requires a metallurgical industry that is even more resource-efficient, eco-friendly and responsible than it is today. Accordingly, the metallurgical industry and system must be protected and strengthened, rather than having its socioeconomic importance undermined because of misconceptions about its residue generation, energy consumption, and environmental impacts. To understand and quantify the opportunities and limits associated with creating more circular and sustainable metallurgical infrastructure systems, rigorous digitalization is imperative. The European Training Network SOCRATES has taken this up by developing ground-breaking metallurgical processes for the valorization of industrial intermediate products. Additionally, this project quantified the impact of its developed metallurgical processes on the sustainability of the current material and metal supply chain through the creation of large simulation-based digital twins of the metallurgical system.