Metallurgy – an industry between traditional and sustainable management

Currently, the industry is a very important economic branch because the industrial products have a high share in the total final and intermediate consumption. Apart from the positive effects on the global consumption, the industrial activities have some negative economic and social effects and also on the environment. The sustainable management in industry should increase efficiency and reduce waste, should find new production methods so that the economic growth can be made with fewer natural resources, fewer materials - especially the rare ones, with less energy consumption from traditional resources and with more efficient technologies, with less negative effects on the human health and on the environment. The transition to a greener industry is an important issue for all the national economies and it is very important to adapt the legislation to the new trends and standards, to adopt new payment schemes, grants and green funds schemes, so as to encourage the industrial enterprises to increase the efficiency of the total resources consumption, to make the transition to greener activities, to use more green capital inputs, to produce more green products, to increase the collaboration with the public and the private sector.