<p>As metals are the cornerstone of the sustainable development of our society and have an important contribution to the clean energy transition, a sustainable metallurgical industry is a critical necessity for our future sustainable society. The key enablers of a sustainable metallurgical ecosystem are stable and sufficient resources, climate-neutral processes and a dynamic and healthy community. We address the main aspects of these enablers and provide insights from the own initiatives taken to contribute to a sustainable metallurgical ecosystem. As long-term partnerships and networks are crucial to bring the commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals across and beyond the value chain and to make headway in making metallurgy more sustainable, we in particular focus on the lessons learned from setting up collaborations.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>