11 INDUSTRY DECARBONIZATION AND CIRCULAR ECONOMY
SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRY CASE STUDY: TATA STEEL
Operating in an industry with a global supply chain presents many challenges to businesses looking to operate sustainably. For Peter Hodgson, Manager for Product Sustainability at Tata Steel, standards are a valuable tool in the armoury of any business looking to establish its sustainability credentials
P
eter Hodgson is Manager for Product Sustainability at Tata Steel which sources ores and alloys from all over the world. Standards are fundamental to its operations both in helping to make sure they source raw materials sustainably and in providing
assurance to the businesses they supply to. “We’re clear that being environmentally responsible and sustainable is the right thing to do and our senior leadership are convinced about that. We are on a journey to spread the sustainability culture across the business and standards are an integral part of that,” said Peter. “We refer to standards when we’re setting our strategy,
targets and objectives. It enables us to put a framework around what we’re aiming to do.” Companies that Tata Steel supplies to are very aware of the risks to their own brands of being associated with a business that doesn’t operate in a responsible and sustainable way. To provide suppliers with the reassurance they’re looking for, Tata Steel has attained certifi cation to BES 6001 ‘Responsible Sourcing of Construction Products’. BES 6001 covers requirements including: environmental management systems; health and safety policies; business ethics; interaction with local communities; greenhouse gas emissions; waste prevention and waste management; and
transport impacts. Tata Steel also requires its suppliers to comply with international standards as a reliable indicator that they are suitable to do business with. “The fi rst level is due diligence on human rights, including not using child labour and confl ict avoidance, and a robust health and safety policy backed up by certifi cation,” said Peter. “We would also be looking at certifi cation to BS EN ISO 14001 as a minimum expectation and beyond that, a policy on water usage, climate change mitigation and resource effi ciency.” As well as being the right thing to do, responsible
sourcing is good for business; “Responsible sourcing certifi cation is a differentiator and it helps our market position that we source responsibly,” said Peter. “Our customers are asking these questions of us and what’s important to our customers is important to us.” Tata Steel also is the fi rst steel manufacturer to become
an approved Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) programme operator and is to able create product-specifi c EPDs for partner companies that comply with BS EN 15804 and BS EN ISO 14025 standards. An EPD describes the potential environmental impacts of a product based on a life cycle assessment from raw
Peter Hodgson
SUSTAINABILITY IN CONSTRUCTION CLICK TO READ
A spectacular ceiling in the Abu Dhabi Louvre made from steel supplied by Tata Steel
material extraction, manufacture, fabrication through to use and end-of-life. It is an internationally-recognized communication tool for conveying the relevant data. “Supplying EPDs, along with our BES 6001 responsible
sourcing certifi cation, enables us to help our construction supply chains to accrue points under building certifi cation schemes such as LEED and BREEAM, on their building projects,” said Peter. “The robust level of transparency and reporting under the EPD programme allows others to make optimum resource decisions and demonstrates our commitment to sustainability, the sustainability credentials of steel and our steel building products.”
CONTENTS
CONTACT THE TEAM
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24
