Sustainability Charter Objectives and Application
BCSA Sustainability Charter Objectives and Application
The objective of the BCSA Sustainability Charter is to further advance steel as a sustainable form of construction including carbon reduction, structural efficiency, economic viability, social progress and environmental responsibility.
Charter Member companies are audited against a flexible set of requirements. The Charter can be awarded at four levels; Certified, Bronze, Silver and Gold. To achieve the charter at any of these levels a minimum number of mandatory points and additional points must be obtained.
Companies with BES6001 will automatically qualify for Charter membership, without the need to undertake the full charter application process as follows:
| BES 6001 | SCSC Charter Level |
| Pass | Bronze |
| Good | Silver |
| Very good | Gold |
| Excellent | Gold |
For more detailed information on the requirements and points please download the Steel Construction Sustainability Charter Toolkit Document
Details about the Charter requirements were explained in a webinar in May 2021, which can be viewed below.
Steel Construction Sustainability Charter (SCSC) - Frequently Asked Questions
The Charter, originally developed in 2005, was updated in 2021. The climate emergency is becoming an ever-increasing issue for the construction sector and BCSA. Our aim is for as many members as possible to have gained the Charter. Our Charter demonstrates our members commitment to sustainability and to tackling the climate emergency. Therefore, we have updated our Charter to be more robust to demonstrate the sustainability attributes of our members to their clients and the wider industry.
The Charter is still optional, it is not a mandatory requirement of membership but if you do not already have the Charter we would recommend that your organisation looks to achieve this as part of your next assessment. This will help you as an organisation to future proof your business, play your part in helping tackle the climate emergency and additionally strengthen the message we put out to the wider sector on your behalf.
BCSA is keen to support and work with members applying for Charter membership for the first time.
Specifiers such as Arup recognise BCSA’s Sustainability Charter and include it in their specification for sustainable constructional steelwork. The Charter is therefore likely to become more widely adopted by clients. Furthermore, if more members sign up to the Charter, BCSA will be able to promote to the construction industry, the measures that the sector is taking to address wider sustainability challenges. Annex J, the Sustainability Specification within the 8th edition of the NSSS, advocates Charter membership as a means of demonstrating that members are addressing sustainability.
The revised charter is now a points-based system and BCSA has produced a guidance document which contains sample policy templates and statements along with guidance that should be adapted to create the evidence needed to meet the requirements of the Charter.
The sample policies and statements should be adapted to the company and not simply copied from the templates. The example policies that need to be adopted into the company’s management system are explained in the guidance with example checklists and other advice and guidance. Evidence that policies are being implemented will be required to be demonstrated in terms of supporting evidence and will be assessed by the BCSA assessor as part of the Charter assessment process.
There are 4 levels of certification:
- Gold: Minimum of 28 points (All Mandatory)
- Silver: Minimum 21 points (13 Mandatory)
- Bronze: Minimum 14 points (8 Mandatory)
- Certificate: Minimum 8 points (2 Mandatory)
There is no charge for being assessed against the Charter for BCSA Steelwork Contractor members if this is conducted at the same time as your annual assessment.
An annual desk top study assessment fee of £220 (+VAT) will apply to Industry and Corporate members. It will also apply to Steelwork Contractor members who wish to undertake this assessment separately from their annual assessment from 1 June 2022.
Members who have been certified to the old Charter requirements (pre 2021) will be given time to meet the new 2021 requirements and, if required, given support by BCSA.
You will need to express interest in applying for the Sustainability Charter to Lorraine MacKinder : lorraine.mackinder@bcsa.org.uk.
The application form will be made available to you through the Member's area left-hand side dashboard - assessments.
Complete all the relevant questions and upload all the necessary documentation. Once you are happy that all questions have been completed relevant to your application, press submit. This will alert the assessor to review the evidence.
If all the information provided is satisfactory, you will be awarded the charter at the level applied for and a certificate sent to you.
If your company has BES 6001 certification you will automatically be awarded the Steel Construction Sustainability Charter as follows:
- BES 6001 Pass = SCSC Bronze
- BES 6001 Good = SCSC Silver
- BES 6001 Very good = SCSC Gold
- BES 6001 Excellent = SCSC Gold
A copy of the logo can be obtained by contacting Zoe Williams
Sustainability Advisory Service
Michael Sansom
Sustainability Manager
Michael is responsible for sustainability at the Association; providing advice and support to Members and representing the steel construction sector within the wider construction sector.
Michael is a Chartered Environmentalist with 23 years’ post-doctorate experience of environmental and sustainability work in consultancy, research and research management roles in the steel and construction sectors.
michael.sansom@bcsa.org.ukSpecialist Areas
- Sustainable construction
- Embodied carbon
- The circular economy
- Technical development