Small Cast Iron Crock Pot
Product Eco Rating
Cast Iron products are considered to be very eco-friendly due to their extremely long lifespan, next-to-no/low maintenance and it’s ability to easily be completely recycled.
The process of mining the Iron can take a lot of energy and other resources, which isn’t ideal, although once mined, it’s easy to then mould the Iron and create Cast Iron products that will either be passed down for many generations or recycled into a Steel product. Iron products are typically much easier to work with and machine than Steel products.
Once the Iron is out of the ground, everything from there-on-out has a much lower impact on the environment and becomes more sustainable every year that it’s still be used. It’s a brilliant alternative to many other products that start to break within years or cannot be recycled.
Sustainability of Cast Iron Cookware
Cast Iron refers to products that have been made from melting and pouring Iron into a mould and then letting it sit and solidify. It has a relatively low melting point, which makes it quite easy to work with and produce all sorts of heavy-duty items that should last a lifetime or more, well made Cast Iron products typically last around 100 years, but cheaper or thinner items do tend to crack, although this is unusual.
With Iron being one of the key materials in Steel, if there are any manufacturing faults during the process of making the Cast Iron products, the entire item can then easily be recycled and doesn’t go to waste. Cast Iron is infinitely recyclable.
As there’s no outer coating that prevents leaching, such as the Stainless finish on Stainless Steel or Enamel coated items with a Cast Iron base, tiny bits of Iron will break off into your food or drinks, which is considered healthy as the Iron is good for your body.
Cast Iron cookware is easy to cook with as it can be placed straight on or in flames, such as a stove or camp fire, then it heats up fast and is naturally non-stick.
