Contractors sign up to sustainability charter

Sustainability is rapidly moving up the agenda as a procurement issue and increasingly construction clients are looking for companies which operate in a ‘sustainable’ manner.

Steel is being promoted as a more sustainable form of construction because it is recyclable, fabricated off-site and safer to erect.

In order to complement this, the Steel Construction Sustainability Charter was launched which requires firms signing up to it to complete a Sustainability Application Form. They must also undergo a new sustainability audit and score a minimum of six points from a possible 12.

Companies are then awarded Charter Status in three levels: Member for six, seven or eight points; Silver for nine, 10 or 11 points, and Gold for 12 points.

Currently nine contractors have been successfully audited. ACL Structures, Fisher Engineering and Graham Wood Structural have member status. Cairnhill Structures, Elland Steel Structures, Fairfield-Mabey and Rowecord Engineering have silver status. While gold status has been awarded to Barrett Steel Buildings and Billington Structures.

The BCSA said the objective of the Charter is to develop steel as a sustainable form of construction in terms of economic viability, social progress and environmental responsibility.

To fulfill this, Charter members are required to make a formal declaration which includes: Operating in an efficient and financially sustainable way; optimising the impact of manufacturing and construction activities; foster the health and safety of employees, and build on their knowledge of sustainability by helping steel and construction companies in the supply chain to implement sustainable policies.