Clients specify Sustainability Charter membership

The BCSA is in dialogue with Arup and the Highways Agency about the possibility that its Sustainability Charter’s requirements can be implemented in their ‘green’ specifications.

The Sustainability Charter was established as a way for the steel construction supply chain to demonstrate its commitment to sustainability’s triple bottom line, serving economic, social and environmental objectives.

“Client’s are increasingly looking to specify such requirements, so we have begun talking to other organisations and companies about adopting the same sustainable issues,” said BCSA Technical Consultant, Roger Pope.

Steelwork contractors who have achieved Sustainability Charter membership Gold status are able to offer clients demonstrable commitment to a complete suite of sustainability objectives. This includes a requirement for them to source at least 60% of their steel from mills with environmental management systems that are certified to EN ISO 14001. It also requires them to undertake carbon footprinting of their operations using the tool that SCI has developed for the BCSA, based on PAS 2050.

Steel construction is able to offer specifiers a responsible “cradle-to-grave” supply chain. Sustainability Charter members can provide responsible sourcing of “cradle” supplies, and steel’s scrap value at end-of-life ensures that only an unavoidable minimum will ever be lost to a landfill “grave” – whereas assumptions about responsible disposal are a key concern when specifying structural timber.

In addition steel’s unique advantage over concrete is its ability to be multi-cycled with no loss of performance, or even to be re-used – rather than having to be down-cycled into rubble.