In a bid to assist in reducing greenhouse emissions from the steel value chain, the Australian Steel Institute has launched Steel Sustainability Australia (SSA), which will assist steel companies in becoming environmentally and socially sustainable.

The entire steel value chain will now be able to be assessed via the new program, which includes the likes of fabricators, roll formers, and reinforcing processors. THe entire framework will verify upstream steel producers against best practice environmental, social and governance (ESG) indicators aligned to the principles of the Green Building Council of Australia’s Responsible Product Framework.

“Transitioning to net zero is one of the greatest challenges the world has ever faced. It will require a complete transformation of how we live, work, build, consume and travel,” says the Institute’s Sustainability Manager Jerusha Beresford.

“The Steel Sustainability Australia certification program was developed in response to the ever-present focus on the sustainable performance and decarbonisation of the Australian construction industry, including the exponential growth in demand for lower carbon and responsibly sourced construction materials..

“This is borne from the global focus on climate change and the net zero carbon emissions targets set by Governments and corporations alike, as well as the need for a more sustainably operating society in growing urban populations.

“Specifiers need to be able to identify more sustainable building products, and steel suppliers need certification that their products are sustainably manufactured and processed and are sourced through responsible and ethical supply chains.”

The new program will give specifiers, engineers, builders and government the opportunity to identify and work with sustainable steel suppliers, given that steel companies will be consistently evaluated across their environmental, social and health impacts.

With 75 percent of annual global greenhouse emissions attributed to the built environment, the Institute sees it as a critical time to launch the program, given the scale, scope and severity of climate change impacts associated with future projects.

"As a developer or builder, your objective is to create a great building that drives investment, gets tenants on-board, and meets all your corporate social responsibility needs,” says the Green Building Council’s Head of Market Transformation, Jorge Chapa.

“As a result, the products used in your development need to be responsible, healthy and drive environmental outcomes. Building products need to be manufactured and installed in such a way that they reduce the impacts on nature and the environment and drive the reduction of carbon content.”

"In GBCA’s Responsible Product Framework, there are a number of different credits that apply to building products and steel: the responsible structure credit, the responsible envelope credit, and the credit around carbon emissions and embodied carbon within a building."

For more information, visit www.steel.org.au.

Architecture & Design Team

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