THEBUSINESSBYES BUREAU

MUMBAI, SEPTEMBER 16, 2026

Tata Steel has unveiled the second phase of its corporate brand campaign #WeAlsoMakeTomorrow with ‘Recycle of Life’, a film that highlights the infinite recyclability of steel and the company’s sustainability ambitions.

The film has been created in collaboration with acclaimed British animator Martyn Pick and agency VML, and builds on the first phase of the campaign launched in 2018, which focused on the role of technology and innovation in shaping the future.

The latest chapter puts sustainability at the centre of the narrative, highlighting how responsible materials, manufacturing practices, products and solutions can contribute to a more sustainable future.

At the heart of ‘Recycle of Life’ is steel’s ability to be recycled repeatedly without losing its essential properties. The film uses children, representing future generations, and origami-inspired transformations to depict the continual renewal and repurposing of steel.

As a sheet of steel-textured paper changes form repeatedly in the hands of children, the film seeks to illustrate how steel can be reimagined and reused while retaining its fundamental characteristics.

Aligned with the Tata Group’s ‘Aalingana’ initiative, Tata Steel has set a target of achieving Net Zero emissions by 2045 and is pursuing a range of initiatives across its operations and geographies.

In India, the company is advancing scrap-based steelmaking through electric arc furnaces (EAFs), including its facility in Punjab and two upcoming plants in western and southern India. In Europe, Tata Steel is progressing towards lower-carbon steelmaking through its planned 3.2 million tonnes per annum EAF at Port Talbot and the Green Steel Plan in the Netherlands.

The company aims to produce 10-15 million tonnes of steel annually through the recycling route over the next 10-15 years.

At its existing blast furnace sites, Tata Steel is also piloting technologies such as HIsarna and EASyMelt, while increasing the use of alternative fuels including biochar and natural gas to reduce carbon emissions.

The company is further expanding renewable energy integration and increasing scrap utilisation across its operations. As part of its circular economy approach, Tata Steel is transforming around 15 million tonnes per annum of industrial by-products into valuable resources.

Directed by Pick, ‘Recycle of Life’ combines live action, computer-generated imagery and painted environments to create a constantly transforming visual world.

Pick said the film uses a bespoke “Painting into Pixels” technique that treats digital imagery like wet paint to create a distinctive textured aesthetic. The approach, he said, was intended to visualise the impact of Tata Steel’s sustainability processes through look, feel and texture.

The animator said capturing the sense of wonder among children was central to the film as they represent the spirit of tomorrow. He also sought to establish a metamorphic flow reflecting Tata Steel’s transformation of materials and the spontaneous creativity of children.

The film’s visual narrative is complemented by ‘Recycle Raga’, an original composition by musician Dhruv Ghanekar featuring renowned Carnatic vocalist Sanjay Subrahmanyan.

Ghanekar said the composition draws on the idea of reimagining the Indian classical raga system by rearranging notes as they ascend the musical scale. Drawing a metaphor from Tata Steel’s efforts to reinvent itself through steel recycling, the composition reinterprets the seven notes by “recycling” the ancient raga system.

The music repeatedly resets, rearranges and renews itself as the scale rises, before returning to where it began, mirroring the concept of continuous recycling.

With ‘Recycle of Life’, Tata Steel is expanding the #WeAlsoMakeTomorrow platform from its earlier focus on innovation to a broader narrative centred on sustainability, underscoring its stated commitment to creating long-term value for customers, communities and the planet.