Sustainable Constructional Steel Certification Scheme

What is the Sustainable Constructional Steel
Certification Scheme?

The Sustainable Constructional Steel (SCS) Certification Scheme ensures that construction steel entering Australia and New Zealand from anywhere in the world meets the highest global environmental, social and ethical standards, using independent certification of ESG criteria and performance indicators. In so doing, it seeks to improve the environmental, social, and economic management of steel producers and processors, as well as improving the performance of products.

The Scheme aligns to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and measures and monitors a comprehensive range of criteria through the global supply chain, including ethical business practices; modern slavery, human rights and labour conditions; environmental impacts (including circular economy and climate change); fair supplier treatment and the socio-economic impacts of the steel value chain. Launched in 2009, its 9th version was released in 2020.

Certification
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Who is it for?

For steel producers and processors, the Scheme helps measure, monitor and improve the sustainability performance of their products and strengthen industry efforts already underway to combat greenhouse gas emissions – as well as demonstrating their sustainability efforts to governments and other buyers.

The Scheme already certifies over 40 producers and suppliers from thirteen countries around the world.

For designers, specifiers, and steel users, the SCS Certification Scheme provides a robust and transparent mechanism which clearly and simply communicates the overall sustainability performance of constructional steel products.

  • designers

  • specifiers

  • steel users

How does it work?

For firms eligible to apply for certification by fulfilling the prerequisite requirements, the assessment procedure comprises the following:

  1. A detailed review of the company’s Sustainability Management System Manual (or equivalent)
  2. Once the provision of the Sustainability Management System Manual, (or equivalent) has been shown to meet the requirements of CARES’ SCS Scheme, the company’s product, quality, environmental, health and safety and sustainability management systems are all reviewed.
  3. A two-stage audit process is then carried out, comprising a detailed review of evidence and the verification of data on site against a series of Key Performance Indicators and the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) dataset.
  4. ACRS auditors audit over 100 criteria covering the entire supply chain from raw materials, through production of the constructional steel, its processing to the delivery of the finished product to the construction site.
  5. After a successful assessment, recommendation of certification and the payment of fees a Certificate of Approval will be issued.
  6. The supplier remains responsible for compliance with legal requirements, voluntary commitments (for example compliance with the ILO standards, the declaration of human rights, its own public commitments) and standards and applying best practices as far as is reasonably practicable.
  7. The Scheme enables credits to be obtained for achievements beyond compliance and minimum thresholds. Credits can be gained for performance that meets specified criteria above the mandatory certification level as part of the CARES ‘Rosette Rating System’. Beyond basic certification, there are 4 additional performance levels reflecting good, better, best practice and aspirational ‘sustainable’ steel (1, 2, 3 or 4 Rosettes).
  8. CARES collects, audits, collates and reports the sector sustainability performance data in line with requirements set out in BS 8902 - Responsible Sourcing of Construction Products and the Scheme Principles.
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