An ANP–SWOT approach for interdependency analysis and prioritizing the Iran׳s steel scrap industry strategies

•Iran steel recycling industry comprises 100 small plants with 1 Mt annual capacity.•The strategic analysis with 14 identified major factors resulted in 8 main strategies.•An integrated MADM–SWOT technique was applied to prioritizing the strategies.•The interdependency between factors was measured by applying ANP on AHP results.•Building the recycling towns, a proper legislation resulted as the best strategies.

Supplying raw materials plays a central role in the Iran׳s crude steel plants. Iran׳s scrap recycling industry, as a major supplier of steel scraps, requires identifying and performing the efficient strategies to utilize the substantial amount of steel scrap. In this research, by designing a model and implementing the efficient strategic factors (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats), via the SWOT analysis, the appropriated strategies, SO, ST, WO and WT are determined. This model consists of four factors, 14 sub-factors and eight strategies. Since the SWOT method is unable to rank the factors and strategies, the MADM technique is applied to prioritize them. The dependency between the factors affects the priority of strategies. Therefore, AHP and ANP methods are applied discretely to examine whether the dependency among the factors changes the priorities of strategies.Comparison of the outcomes from the AHP and ANP methods presents that the dependency among the factors in ANP method causes major changes in ranking the alternatives particularly for the principal alternatives.