Tata Steel has launched the second phase of its corporate brand campaign #WeAlsoMakeTomorrow with 'Recycle of Life', a film created in collaboration with British animator Martyn Pick and agency VML. The new chapter moves the campaign’s focus from technology and innovation to sustainability.
The film centres on steel’s ability to be recycled repeatedly without losing its essential properties. Using children and origami-inspired transformations, 'Recycle of Life' shows a sheet of steel-textured paper changing form multiple times, creating a visual metaphor for continual renewal and reuse.
The campaign builds on the first phase of #WeAlsoMakeTomorrow, which was launched in 2018 and focused on the role of technology and innovation in shaping the future.
Sustainability is also reflected in Tata Steel’s stated target of becoming Net Zero by 2045. The company is developing scrap-based steelmaking capacity through electric arc furnaces in India, including a facility in Punjab and two upcoming facilities in the West and South. In Europe, its plans include a 3.2 million tonnes per annum EAF at Port Talbot and the Green Steel Plan in the Netherlands.
Tata Steel aims to produce 10-15 million tonnes of steel annually through the recycling route within the next 10-15 years. The company is also piloting technologies such as HIsarna and EASyMelt at existing blast furnace sites, while increasing the use of alternative fuels and renewable energy. As part of its circular economy efforts, it is transforming approximately 15 MTPA of industrial by-products into resources.
Pick’s film combines live action, CGI and painted environments. He developed a bespoke ‘Painting into Pixels’ technique to give the digital imagery a textured, painted appearance. He said, "To bring this vision to life, I developed a bespoke 'Painting into Pixels' technique that treats digital imagery as wet paint, creating a distinctive textured look. The aim was to visualise the impact of Tata Steel's sustainable processes through look, feel and texture. Capturing the children's sense of wonder was central to the film, as they represent the spirit of tomorrow. Key was establishing a metamorphic flow, matching Tata Steel's endlessly inventive transformation of materials with the spontaneous creative joy of children. Combining their creative energy with a vibrant colour palette and seamless CGI integration allowed us to create a visual experience aligned to the campaign's message of transformation and responsible progress."
The film’s music extends the recycling theme through ‘Recycle Raga’, an original composition by musician Dhruv Ghanekar featuring Carnatic vocalist Sanjay Subrahmanyan. The composition reinterprets the seven notes of the classical raga system, with the musical arrangement repeatedly resetting and rearranging itself as it progresses.
"The music for Tata Steel draws upon the idea of reimagining the Indian classical raga system by reinterpreting how notes are arranged while ascending up the scale. Taking a cue from Tata Steel, an institution that is over a hundred years old, and how it is reinventing itself by recycling steel, the music metaphorically reinterprets the seven notes by recycling the ancient raga system. As the scale ascends upwards, the music recycles, resets, rearranges itself and is reborn at every step. Brought to life by the vocals of renowned Carnatic singer Sanjay Subrahmanyan, the music travels across genres, moods and tempos as it crescendos to finally recycle itself and return to where it started,” said Dhruv Ghanekar.
With Recycle of Life, Tata Steel is extending the #WeAlsoMakeTomorrow platform into sustainability, linking its recycling and decarbonisation initiatives with the broader corporate campaign.
