Superseding the ASI ESC, SSA Certification assures steel suppliers and their products are sustainably manufactured and processed and are sourced through responsible and ethical supply chains.
The Steel Sustainability Australia (SSA) Certification Program is a steel sustainability certification program to certify downstream steel businesses (including fabricators, roll formers, reinforcing processors) in the sustainable sourcing, manufacturing, fabrication and processing of steel products.
The SSA program engages the entire steel value chain by certifying downstream steel fabricators, roll formers, and reinforcing processors and verifying the steel supply from upstream steel producers against best practice environmental, social and governance (ESG) indicators aligned to the principles under the Green Building Council of Australia’s (GBCA) Responsible Product Framework.
The SSA certification program is open to any downstream steel processing business and includes fabrication, reinforcing processing and roll-form businesses.
"A key factor in Multiplex’s selection of Beenleigh Steel Fabrications for the structural steel subcontract was the fact they are a Gold Member of the ASI’s Environmental Sustainability Charter." (Multiplex)
The objective of the SSA certification program is to support the responsible manufacturing of steel and steel products in Australia by providing a holistic, best practice standard to assess sustainability performance in the manufacturing and processing of steel across the steel value chain.
To achieve this, the SSA program aims to:
The SSA certification program offers benefits for Suppliers, Specifiers and Procurement Professionals
The SSA Program is a recognised initiative under the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) Responsible Products Framework (RPF). Certification to each SSA level have corresponding Responsible Product Values (RPVs) that meet the requirements of the 4 Green Star Responsible Products Credits under the ‘Responsible’ category in the Green Star Buildings rating tool.
*RPV = Responsible Product Value under the Green Star Responsible Product Program. RPVs assigned to SSA levels are subject to change. For further information on RPVs and Green Star Credits contact GBCA.
Level 1: The entry level of SSA certification requires compliance to best practice governance, environmental and OHS management criteria and verifies the steel feedstock is sourced from a responsible steel manufacturer or producer.
While Level 1 certification will not qualify a product as either ‘Good Practice’ or ‘Best Practice’ under the Responsible Products Framework, the obtained 4 RPV can be combined with other valid certifications to acheive Green Star credits.
Level 2: Certification to levels 2A or 2B build on the requirements of Level 1 and assure compliance to additional environmental, health and social impact assessments via two pathways; 2A certification, where a verified product-specific EPD can be provided and 2B certification, where a verified product-specific EPD cannot be provided.
Level 2 certification achieves ‘Good Practice’ recognition (at least 10 RPV) under GBCA's Responsible Products Framework providing varying 'Responsible Credits' in the Green Star Buildings rating tool.
Level 3: The aspirational level of certification assesses extended compliance requirements to achieve ‘Best Practice’ recognition (at least 15 RPV) under GBCA's Responsible Products Framework providing varying 'Responsible Credits' in the Green Star Buildings rating tool.
SSA Applicants are subjected to an annual desktop audit conducted by an independent auditor to assess compliance to criteria according to the level of certification sought (L1, L2A, L2B, L3).
Applicants to the Program are audited and awarded certification on a site-by-site basis. SSA certification covers the manufacturing or processing site assessed, as well as the steel products produced at that site.
Based on the audit results and certification recommendation, SSA determines the certification outcome for the Applicant. Successful certifications are published on the SSA Suppliers List on this website.