New Delhi: Steel Minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia on Friday said the metal sector is highly energy-intensive which causes large carbon emissions, and there is a need to adopt new technologies for attaining the zero-emission target.

The iron and steel industry globally accounts for around 8 percent of total carbon dioxide emissions on an annual basis, whereas in India, it contributes 12 percent to the total CO2 emissions.

In today's world nothing is waste and all so-called wastes can be converted into resources by adopting suitable technology, the minister stated.

Speaking at an international conference on circular economy and resource efficiency, Scindia said the majority of natural resources are finite, so it is important to find environmentally and economically feasible ways to utilise these resources.

The country's mining and metal sector, he said, is posed for robust development due to expected jump in demand to support the growth in the automotive, infrastructure, transport, space and defence sectors.

Steel manufacturers across the globe are on course to develop suitable strategies for environmental sustainability and circular economy.

The Steel Ministry, he said, is working as a nodal agency and has already charted out a detailed roadmap for promoting circular economy in metals sector covering all aspects of production from mining to finished metal production and their recycling and reuse.

(With PTI inputs)

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