Yiannis Pontikes of KU Leuven and colleagues from the University of Tokyo, Japan, Boston University, USA and Swinburne University of Technology, Australia have published a new article in the Journal of Sustainable Metallurgy. The article is entitled Preface to the Journal of Sustainable Metallurgy 10th Anniversary Topical Collection.
Starting a new journal is a challenging endeavor that requires thorough deliberation at every stage. It begins with a sincere efort to understand the underlying motivations for its creation and extends to assessing the likelihood of its acceptance and long-term impact among all stakeholders. The process demands perseverance, vision, and the ability to navigate potential obstacles. Fortunately, more than ten years ago, the founding editors overcame these signifcant challenges and successfully established the Journal of Sustainable Metallurgy, which has since contributed to advancing research in the feld. Refecting on the past decade, it is evident that the journal's role is more vital than ever in advancing sustainable practices in metallurgy, helping to address present challenges and shape a more sustainable future for the feld. Growth in areas such as infrastructure, construction, communication, transportation, and clean energy is creating a heavy demand for metals, and increased metals production is causing a large negative impact on the environment. In the U.S. alone, the metals industries produce more than 100 million metric tons of CO2-e. Globally, metals production accounts for 10% of the total energy consumption [1]. The scale of the problem can be best realized by considering the fact that in the next 25 years, we will consume the same amounts of metals and resources that we have consumed in the last 350 years since the industrial revolution if we assume just a 3% per year compounded increase in consumption.
Reference
Morita, K., Pal, U., Rhamdhani, M.A. et al. Preface to the Journal of Sustainable Metallurgy 10th Anniversary Topical Collection. J. Sustain. Metall. (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40831-025-01033-2
