Stainless steel is an extremely versatile material, with uses across industries in innumerable applications. We’ve chosen to use it as the main material for our handles because it strikes the perfect balance between advantageous mechanical properties, its availability and its suitability for recycling.
Durable by nature
Stainless steel’s biggest advantage is in its name: it’s corrosion resistant, and it stays that way. Known as a ‘self-repairing’ material, the microscopic protective layer that forms on stainless steel, thanks to the added chromium, re-forms immediately if it gets damaged.1 It is also extremely wear-resistant, and its hard, smooth, easily cleanable surface makes it the primary choice in applications where hygiene is paramount. Stainless steel is also very widely used, meaning the surrounding infrastructure for supply, machining and recycling is well-established.
In designing our handles, we have chosen to use materials which have innate corrosion resistance, avoiding plating or coatings which often lack durability. Avoiding extra processes like plating helps simplify and streamline production, reducing emissions, manufacturing time and the use of resources.
Recycled and recyclable
There is no need for us to use virgin materials, so sourcing recycled stainless steel, was, from the get-go, an obvious way for us to reduce our environmental impact, while also achieving the quality and durability standards that are so important to us. In fact, these goals are two sides of the same coin: high quality, well-made products are inherently better for the environment, reducing the need for replacement and increasing the lifespan of valuable materials.
Like most metals, stainless steel is recyclable without degradation, enabling us to manufacture from recycled stock, to recycle waste metal generated in the turning and milling processes, and also allowing our handles themselves to be recycled at end of life (though they are designed for very long ones!).
Keeping in the loop
These principles – durability and resource efficiency and recovery – are, among others, key to a circular economy framework. The circular economy is an industrial model which seeks to reduce environmental impact through designing out waste, preserving the quality of materials and conserving natural resources.2
As discussed on our Sustainability page, our recycled stainless steel supplier operates a closed-loop cooling system, treats their gaseous emissions and adheres to ISO 14001 and ISO 50001, which are international standards for environmental and energy management.3 They also produce their steel with enhanced properties which help to reduce machining time by 25-30%, bringing down energy consumption and prolonging tool life.4
It has always been our goal to create a product that impacts in all the right ways, while not impacting in the wrong ones. Keeping our environmental impact as low as we can, through designing for longevity and choosing sustainable materials, is absolutely core to our business. Using recycled stainless steel means we don’t have to sacrifice a thing to make a high-quality product that lasts.
References
- International Stainless Steel Forum, Stainless steel for hygiene, p. 2, https://worldstainless.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ISSF_Stainless_steel_for_Hygiene.pdf. ↩︎
- Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Australia’s circular economy framework: Doubling our circularity rate (2024), page 7, https://www.dcceew.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/australias-circular-economy-framework.pdf. ↩︎
- “EHS policy”, Valbruna Stainless Steel, accessed 4 June 2026, https://www.valbruna-stainless-steel.com/environment/policy. ↩︎
- Acciaierie Valbruna, Maxival: The solution for improving machinability to stainless steel bar type 304 & 316,https://www.valbruna.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Maxival_304_316.pdf. ↩︎