Design for Recycling (DfR) is a specialized engineering discipline within the broader Design for Environment (DfE) framework, focused on the end-of-life phase of a product. Its objective is to ensure materials can be recovered and returned to the production cycle with maximum efficiency and minimal loss of quality.

In the steel industry, DfR provides a technical solution to prevent downcycling, which is the permanent loss of material quality during recycling.

By using compatible alloys, avoiding hazardous coatings, and designing modular architectures for easy disassembly, DfR enables the recovery of post-consumer steel as high-purity scrap. As resource scarcity and carbon regulations intensify globally, DfR is essential for achieving closed-loop systems and ensuring the long-term supply of high-quality materials.