Steel Construction Carbon Credentials
Steel Construction – Carbon Credentials
The Steel construction – Carbon Credentials supplement was produced by Steel for Life and the BCSA and distributed with the main UK construction press in October 2020. The publication provides guidance and information to designers, to help them in their decision making as they strive to address the climate emergency. It highlights the many advantages of using structural steelwork and the environmental benefits that can be derived from choosing steel for buildings and other structures.
Within the publication an informative article on steelmaking describes how both of the main processes require significant amounts of recycled content for their production and sets out major manufacturer’s plans for zero-carbon steelmaking by 2050. The growing importance of embodied carbon in the drive towards a decarbonised world is discussed, and the case is made for appropriate whole life carbon assessments that take account of end of life aspects.
Operational carbon and thermal mass are explained, as well as how steel-framed buildings are capable of meeting the most stringent operational requirements in the drive towards net zero carbon emissions. There are also features explaining steelwork’s recyclability and suitability for reuse, steel’s contribution to the circular economy, the BCSA’s push for sustainable procurement, and project reports on four high-scoring BREEAM rated steel-framed buildings.
