Discover how these steel products support sustainable design strategies through disassembly, flexibility, longevity and performance.
Steel plays an important role in the transition to a circular economy, one where materials are used efficiently and kept in use for as long as possible at their highest value.
BlueScope is focused on reducing the environmental impact and embodied carbon of its products, while enhancing durability, longevity and circularity.
“Sustainability is integral to how we operate and is at the heart of what we do,” said Philippa Stone, Sustainability Manager at BlueScope. “We are focused on decarbonising our operations and ensuring that our products contribute to more circular outcomes.”
Product credentials and certifications
BlueScope’s commitment to transparency in communicating the environmental impacts of its products is demonstrated through its expanded range of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). These EPDs provide environmental data, including GHG emissions, energy use, water consumption and waste metrics, for relevant life cycle stages.
“Our EPDs help to build trust by providing clear, detailed information on the environmental performance of our products,” Stone said. “They are a valuable resource and allow our customers to clearly understand the environmental impact of the products they choose, helping them to align their purchasing decisions with their sustainability goals.”
Furthermore, thirteen of BlueScope’s products have achieved the highest rating, ‘Level A’ certification, under the Global GreenTag GreenRate program, a third-party ecolabel that evaluates products against stringent sustainability attributes. Like EPDs, ecolabel certifications, including Global GreenTag GreenRate, can contribute points under green building rating schemes such as Green Star.
BlueScope’s commitment to responsible operations is also demonstrated by certification of key sites to ResponsibleSteel, a global third-party standard and certification initiative. This certification reflects the quality of BlueScope’s operations and can give organisations in the steel value chain confidence in the environmental, social and governance performance of BlueScope’s steelmaking facilities, and may help them to meet their climate objectives and manage supply chain risks. Both the Port Kembla Steelworks, where BlueScope makes all its steel in Australia, and Western Port facilities have achieved this certification.
ResponsibleSteel certification is also recognised in the Green Star ‘Responsible Products Framework’ by the Green Building Council of Australia. Products manufactured at BlueScope’s certified sites are considered ‘Good Practice’ products and in combination with an EPD and/or Global GreenTag GreenRate, products are considered ‘Best Practice’.
“These credentials and certifications are more than just tick boxes – they reflect the tangible steps we’ve taken to embed sustainability across our operations, and add value to our stakeholders pursuing rating tools such as Green Star and IS Rating,” Stone said.
Driving circularity in the built environment with steel products
By designing for disassembly and potential reuse, steel can contribute to circularity by reducing material consumption and enhancing resource efficiency. For example, the Western Sydney Stadium features a steel structure designed for disassembly, supporting future reuse or recycling.
The durability and longevity of many steel products is key to steel’s circular credentials. For instance, BlueScope’s COLORBOND steel is renowned for its durability. Incorporated in BlueScope’s industry leading metallic coating, Activate technology1 enhances the protective coating of COLORBOND steel’s substrate to provide enhanced corrosion resistance. The result increases the durability and resilience of COLORBOND steel to Australia’s harsh climate and delivers a longer life that helps conserve resources and energy that may otherwise be invested in products with a shorter life span.
Building frames made from TRUECORE steel are lightweight, durable, highly suited for modular design, and are often fabricated off-site to exact specifications to minimise waste during fabrication and construction. Any waste produced in the value chain can be recovered and returned to the steelmaking process.
Supporting climate resilience
BlueScope offers solutions designed to address some of the challenges posed by a changing climate. Cool roofing products, such as COLORBOND Coolmax steel, are designed to maintain high solar reflectance and have the potential to reduce roofing temperatures and keep buildings cooler 3. COLORBOND steel also offers 11 cool roofing colours in their core colour range to support compliance with the National Construction Code energy efficiency provisions and to help mitigate the effects of Urban Heat Islands.
Focus on the future
With a legacy of product innovation, BlueScope remains dedicated to optimising material efficiency, enhancing beneficial use, and extending product life. Looking ahead, BlueScope will continue to expand the range of products with Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and ecolabels, enabling customers to make more informed choices.
“Our emphasis on product stewardship is geared towards reducing the impact of our products throughout their life cycle, with a key focus on reducing embodied carbon,” Stone said.
“Our products are designed with the future in mind. Whether it’s enabling a circular design strategy or enhancing building resilience, we aim to create solutions that support sustainable outcomes.”
Download BlueScope’s new Specify with Confidence product reference guide.
This handy guide outlines how BlueScope products comply with he National Construction Code, meet the relevant Australian Standards and outlines key sustainability credentials.
1 Activate technology is not available for COLORBOND steel products with a galvanised steel substrate.
2 Materials reclaimed within the steelmaking process represent an additional 2.1% average recovered content. According to recycled content categories defined in ISO 14021:2016. The figures provided are based on FY24 data.
3 Actual cool roofing performance will depend on a wide range of factors including roof colour, roof shape, level and location of insulation, type, location, shape, and function of the building.
