Call for participation: NZ’s first sustainable steel certification program

We’re calling for members interested in being certified via New Zealand’s first ever sustainable steel certification program – a new initiative being driven by the Sustainable Steel Council (SSC).

The Sustainable Steel Council is a group of industry leaders committed to a circular economy, the long-term viability of the industry and its contribution to inter-generational wellbeing, measured against Treasury’s Living Standards Framework.

Current members of the SSC include Fletcher Steel, HERA, MRM, New Zealand Steel, Metals NZ, NZSSDA, Pacific Steel, Steel and Tube, CTNZ, Winstone Wallboards and SCNZ. Our CEO, Troy Coyle, is the current Chair of the SSC.

Some of you may have had dealings with an earlier version of the SSC. In 2019, it was reinvigorated and has commenced a range of activities. This included developing New Zealand’s first ever sustainable steel certification program.

Why would I want Sustainable Steel Certification?

SSC Certification is recognised as a criterion in the NZ Green Building Council’s Green Star rating scheme (under credit 20).

Taking the journey to SSC Certification will enable businesses, especially SMEs, to build their skills and capacity.

Those being certified will be able to identify improvement opportunities and gain exclusive access to tools and templates to assist this. We support members on the journey with a selection of specifically developed tools and resources available in the Knowledge Hub to complement the certification process. This will allow SMEs to be consistent with larger sector businesses and meet changing expectations of government and the business community.

To demonstrate to customers and stakeholders that you are actively addressing key sustainability issues in your production processes and supply chain.

To demonstrate your commitment to the Living Standards Framework in Government tenders.

SSC will add a list of certified companies/organisations on its website to allow interested parties to search for certified members. We have already had a number of design engineers/project owners contact us to identify certified members.

How do I become certified?

SSC Certification is obtained through an audit process based on set criteria aligned with the SSC Charter, reflecting Treasury’s Living Standards Framework and relevant Sustainable Development Goals. Provided you have the required information available to support your claims, the actual audit time is minimal and currently the lead time is also minimal (with current demand).

How much does it cost for Sustainable Steel Certification?

To become certified, the current fee is $300 plus any associated costs if you want a face-to-face interview.

Otherwise, these will be done via video conference or could be done around other visits that auditors might have to your region.

What our members are saying about the certification process

“An interesting process that generated fresh perspectives on the business’ environmental impacts. It throws a lot of light on opportunities for improvement.”

Managing Director, Kernohan Engineering

“The evaluation process was easy and we found that we as a business are already close to fulfilling all of the requirements.”

David Moore, Grayson Engineering

‘We found the accreditation process to be thorough without being time consuming and it also made us realise that although we have processes in place for sustainability within our company, we need to improve more in written policies and procedures.

We would highly recommend that other fabricators go through the accreditation process.”

Scott Johnstone, John Jones Steel

How do I start the process?

Feel free to contact Troy via email troy.coyle@hera.org.nz if you have any questions.