Company: Atlas Commodities Ltd.
Role within company: CEO
Time in metal recycling: 18 years.
What is your favourite fact about metal recycling?
Steel is one of the world’s most sustainable materials, infinitely recyclable – This fact is unparalleled and still to this day, blows my mind!

What in your opinion, is the metal recycling sector’s greatest challenge at the moment?
The circular economy requires a new approach to the collection, treatment and recycling of secondary materials and Atlas Commodities Ltd. is not scared of challenging the status quo. It seems archaic in 2022 when sustainability and decarbonisation is high up on everyone’s
agenda to not look at ways of streamlining the collection, treatment and recycling processes, working hand in hand with the
UK Steelmaking & Foundry Industries, widely tipped only to grow in coming years with the industry facing uncertainty over
the longevity of exports. 

It is no secret that global markets are rapidly moving towards an overwhelming demand for higher quality metals paired with the fact overseas markets are becoming more regionalised.

Categorisation of our products is high on the priority list - Scrap is a valuable and integral raw material product, yet it is classed here in the UK & EU as waste. 

Companies already moving in this direction are benefitting from increased sales and in order not to get left behind, member companies need to think outside the box and target technological innovation. By updating and elevating the treatment phases and therefore increasing quality
and consistency, it will be possible to seize opportunity, add value and provide a turn key solution for manufacturers that are desperately trying to decarbonise and reduce their dependency on virgin materials such as coking coal and iron ore, which are inherently bad for the planet, instead opting to reintroduce more high quality raw materials into their production cycles.

For this to happen, we need to see a collaborative approach from industry, government and consumers led by the BMRA which in turn would help build a commercially viable green steel market here in the UK, whilst at the same time, supporting British Industry, something we
are proud to say we do well here at Atlas Commodities Ltd.

About being elected to the BMRA board:
Steel and in turn scrap is critical to continued economic development and the backbone of both UK and global
sustainable initiatives, including the energy transition and I am incredibly proud to be representing members on issues that
matter to our sector with a view to trying to continuously improve. I would like to be at the forefront of talks on decarbonisation
considering our sector is also one of the world’s most energy-intensive, with steelmaking accounting for around 8% of
global carbon dioxide emissions and what better opportunity than to do that than joining the UK Industry’s voice…Whilst the
continued move to EAF production will drive down emissions further, creating a genuinely sustainable industry will require
broader, bolder measures from all players across the steel value chain including us “scrappies!”

I am immensely proud to be following in the footsteps of my father, Mike Seale who served on the National Council and
also as the Chairman of the Tri-Partite Committee for the BSF (British Scrap Federation) representing Metal Recyclers, The UK Steelmaking Association and the UK Foundry Association in aligning common goals and specifications, before it merged with NF Industry body at the time
(The British Secondary Metals Association); both of which have subsequently merged in forming the BMRA and I would like to thank all members that took the time to vote.