Green Building rating tools and schemes aim to assess the sustainability of buildings, infrastructure, materials and consumer products.

Some of the main schemes in Australia include:

  • Green Star™;
  • IS Rating Scheme; and
  • Living Building Challenge.

GreenStar™

Launched by the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) in 2003, Green Star is Australia's largest voluntary sustainability rating system for buildings, building fitouts and communities.

Green Star assesses the sustainability attributes of a project through impact categories. Each category groups a number of issues related to a certain sustainability impact; these are known as 'credits', for which varying numbers of points are awarded. Each credit defines a clear outcome that a project must meet. Once all credits are assessed, the total number of points achieved is compared against the available points in the rating tool and a certified rating is awarded.

There are currently six Green Star rating tools: Buildings, Design & As Built, Communities, Interiors, Performance, Railway Stations

How can steel manufactured by BlueScope in Australia assist in gaining Green Star credits?

 

Green Star - Design and As Built v1.3

BlueScope Products

Green Star Credit

Applicable Requirements

Structural steel products including:

  • XLERPLATE® steel
  • Welded beams and columns
  • DECKFORM® steel

Credit 19 - Life Cycle Impacts (up to 7 pts)

  • Credit 19B.2 - Life Cycle Impacts - Steel (up to 1 pt.)

BlueScope can help:

  • Demonstrate the environmental impacts/carbon emissions reduction of the project vs a reference building using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA); and/or
  • Reduce mass of steel framing (steel framed building) compared to standard practice (e.g. by using high strength steel).

Note: BlueScope products with Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) can be used to represent the impact of BlueScope products in whole-of-building LCAs.

Structural steel products, including:

  • XLERPLATE® steel
  • Welded beams and columns
  • DECKFORM® steel

 

Credit 20.1 - Responsible Building Materials - Structural and Reinforcing Steel (up to 1 pt.)

BlueScope meets the following responsible steel maker requirements:

All products

Credit 21 - Sustainable Products (up to 3 pts)

Depending on the product, BlueScope may be able to meet transparency and sustainability requirements through the following initiatives:

Roofing products:

  • COLORBOND® steel1

Credit 25 - Heat Island Effect (up to 1 pt.)

Roofing materials that comply with minimum Solar Reflectance Index (SRI) requirements, typically light colours:

  • Roof pitched <15°: 3-year SRI ≥64 or initial SRI ≥82
  • Roof pitched >15°: 3-year SRI ≥34 or initial SRI ≥39

Product-specific SRI test data may be available upon request.

Green Star - Buildings

BlueScope Products

Green Star Credit

Applicable Requirements

All products

Credit 5 - Responsible Procurement (up to 1 pt)

 

BlueScope's approach to responsible sourcing practices and conduct may help demonstrate compliance with responsible procurement practices, including human rights, labour practices, environment, etc.

For more information on BlueScope's commitment to Health, Safety, Environment and Community (HSEC) see our HSEC Policy, Code of Conduct and Modern Slavery Statement.

All products

 

Credit 6 - Responsible Structure (up to 5 pts)

Many of BlueScope's products can score points under the Responsible Products Value framework through the following initiatives:

All products

Credit 7 - Responsible Envelope (up to 4 pts)

Many of BlueScope's products can score points under the Responsible Products Value framework through the following initiatives:

Roofing products:

  • COLORBOND® steel1

Credit 19 - Heat Resilience (up to 1pt)

BlueScope's roofing products may comply with minimum Solar Reflectance Index (SRI) requirements, typically light colours:

  • Roof pitched <15°: 3-year SRI ≥64 or initial SRI ≥82
  • Roof pitched >15°: 3-year SRI ≥34 or initial SRI ≥39

Product-specific SRI test data may be available upon request.

Products with EPDs:

  • COLORBOND® steel2
  • XLERPLATE® steel
  • Welded beams and columns

Credit 21 - Upfront Carbon emissions (up to 6 pts)

BlueScope can provide 3rd party verified Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) to support claims of carbon in products, as required by the credit.

Products with EPDs:

  • COLORBOND® steel2
  • XLERPLATE® steel
  • Welded beams and columns

Credit 26 - Life Cycle Impacts (up to 2 pts)

The Life Cycle Impacts credit encourages the use of local data for LCAs, preferably EN15804 EPDs, which take precedence over generic or global data:

  • BlueScope’s EPDs are product-specific, 3rd party verified and compliant with EN 15804 standards; and
  • They can be used to accurately represent the impact of BlueScope products in whole-of-building LCAs.

Green Star - Communities v1.1

BlueScope Products

Green Star Credit

Applicable Requirements

Reinforcing steel products (e.g. XLERPLATE® steel, Welded beams and columns, DECKFORM® steel)

Credit 26 - Materials (up to 5 pts)

 

BlueScope meets the following responsible steel maker requirements:

Note: BlueScope products with Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) can be used to represent the impact of BlueScope products in whole-of-building LCAs to meet the requirements of 26A.1 LCA – Performance Pathway.

Roofing products:

  • COLORBOND® steel1

Credit 31 - Heat Island Effect (up to 1 pt)

BlueScope's roofing products may comply with minimum Solar Reflectance Index (SRI) requirements, typically light colours:

  • Roof pitched <15°: 3-year SRI ≥64 or initial SRI ≥82
  • Roof pitched >15°: 3-year SRI ≥34 or initial SRI ≥39

Product-specific SRI test data may be available upon request.

Green Star - Interiors v1.3

BlueScope Products

Green Star Credit

Applicable Requirements

All products

Credit 21 - Sustainable Products (up to 19 pts)

Depending on the product, BlueScope may be able to meet transparency and sustainability requirements through the following initiatives:

Green Star - Performance v1.2

BlueScope Products

Green Star Credit

Applicable Requirements

All products

Credit 21 - Procurement and Purchasing (up to 3 pts)

BlueScope's approach to responsible sourcing practices and conduct may help demonstrate compliance with the requirements of '21.1 Sustainable Procurement Framework', including human rights, labour practices and environmental aspects

For more information on BlueScope's commitment to Health, Safety, Environment and Community (HSEC) see our HSEC Policy, Code of Conduct and Modern Slavery Statement.

BlueScope, as a responsible steel maker, can also help meet the requirements of ‘21.3 Refurbishment Materials’ criteria for steel:

The inherent properties of steel - strong and durable - translate to a range of design possibilities that can help accrue points under Green Star credits.

Steel can be an ideal material for adding volume to existing buildings and can allow historic facades to be incorporated into new designs. The durability of steel also allows it to be successfully used in adaptive reuse and designs for disassembly.

The strength-to-weight ratio of steel also means that large spatial volumes can be enclosed in a single space which, along with other design factors, can translate to better levels of natural ventilation, light, heating and cooling. This can help improve both energy efficiency and indoor environment quality.

COLORBOND® steel with Thermatech®3 solar reflectance technology can also indirectly help accrue points in the Energy category by helping to reflect the sun's energy away from the roof and the building, which could help to reduce the energy use associated with mechanical air conditioning.

Infrastructure Sustainability (IS) Rating Scheme

Developed by the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA), the Infrastructure Sustainability (IS) Rating Scheme is a comprehensive rating system for evaluating sustainability across the planning, design, construction and operation of infrastructure programs, projects, networks and assets.

The IS Rating scheme has a strong focus on governance issues, such as sustainable procurement, resilience and innovation.

The IS Rating differs significantly from other rating tools in that it is less prescriptive and allows more options for evidence to prove compliance. This evidence needs to pass the assessment of an appointed assessor.

 

How can steel manufactured by BlueScope in Australia assist in gaining IS Rating credits?

 

IS Rating v1.2

BlueScope Products

IS Rating credits

Applicable Requirements

All products

Was-2 Diversion from landfill (up to 3.5 pts)

Products that have demand and existing recycling/re-use options can help achieve this credit by supporting higher landfill diversion rates.

  • Steel’s magnetic properties mean that it can be easily separated for recycling, and the intrinsic economic value of steel results in a high recovery rate of all steel waste.
  • The steel in BlueScope’s steel products is 100% recyclable without loss of quality.

All products

Was-3 Deconstruction/Disassembly/ Adaptability (up to 1.5 pts)

Material selection that considers future impacts, and that have high quality, will retain value and/or be more feasible for re-use and recycling can help achieve this credit.

  • Steel is a strong, durable and versatile material.
  • BlueScope’s steel products lend themselves well to structures that are designed for long life, resilience and flexibility to accommodate multiple future reuse options without reinvestment in structural alteration and refurbishment.

Products with EPDs (COLORBOND® steel2, XLERPLATE® steel, and Welded beams and columns)

Mat-1 – Materials life cycle impact measurement and reduction (up to 6 pts)

The use of BlueScope’s steel products with EPDs can help demonstrate the environmental impacts/carbon emissions reduction of the project vs a reference building using LCA or ISCA’s Materials Calculator

  • BlueScope products with Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are a plus, as they can be used to represent the impact of BlueScope products in whole-of-building LCAs and the IS Materials Calculator v2.0

Products with EPDs (COLORBOND® steel2, XLERPLATE® steel, and Welded beams and columns)

Mat-2 – Environmentally labelled products and supply chains (up to 1 pt)

Depending on the product, BlueScope may be able to meet environmental labelling requirements through the following initiatives:

IS Rating v2.0

BlueScope Products

IS Rating credits

Applicable Requirements

All products

Rso-4 Resource Recovery (up to 2 pts)

Products that have demand and existing recycling/re-use options can help achieve this credit by supporting higher landfill diversion rates.

  • Steel's magnetic properties mean that it can be easily separated for recycling, and the intrinsic economic value of steel results in a high recovery rate of all steel waste.
  • The steel in BlueScope's steel products is 100% recyclable without loss of quality.

All products

Rso-5 - Adaptability (up to 2 pts)

Adaptable materials chosen considering future impacts, and that have high quality, will retain value and/or be more feasible for re-use and recycling can help achieve this credit.

  • Steel is a strong, durable and versatile material.
  • BlueScope's steel products lend themselves well to structures that are designed for long life, resilience and flexibility to accommodate multiple future reuse options without reinvestment in structural alteration and refurbishment.

Products with EPDs (COLORBOND® steel2, XLERPLATE® steel, and Welded beams and columns)

Rso-6 - Materials life cycle impact measurement and reduction (up to 4.5 pts)

The use of BlueScope's steel products with EPDs can help demonstrate the environmental impacts/carbon emissions reduction of the project vs a reference building using LCA or ISCA's Materials Calculator

  • BlueScope products with Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are a plus, as they can be used to represent the impact of BlueScope products in whole-of-building LCAs and the IS Materials Calculator v2.0

COLORBOND® steel2, XLERPLATE® steel, and Welded beams and columns)

Rso-7 - Sustainability labelled products and supply chains (up to 1.5 pts)

Depending on the product, BlueScope may be able to meet environmental labelling requirements through the following initiatives:

Living Building Challenge

The Living Building Challenge (LBC), is one of the most rigorous benchmarks of sustainability in the built environment. It assesses living buildings that are:

  • Regenerative buildings that connect occupants to light, air, food, nature, and community.
  • Self-sufficient and remain within the resource limits of their site.
  • Create a positive impact on the human and natural systems that interact with them.

The LBC consists of seven performance categories, or 'Petals': Place, Water, Energy, Health + Happiness, Materials, Equity and Beauty. Each Petal is subdivided into Imperatives, for a total of 20 Imperatives, each of which focuses on a specific sphere of influence.

How can steel manufactured by BlueScope in Australia assist in achieving LBC Imperatives?


Living Building Challenge v4.0

BlueScope Products

LBC Imperative

Applicable Requirements

COLORBOND® steel2, XLERPLATE® steel, and Welded beams and columns)

Core Imperative 07 - Energy + Carbon Reduction

New and Existing projects must demonstrate a 20% reduction in the embodied carbon of primary materials compared to an equivalent baseline. Product data for the embodied carbon assessment should be as accurate as possible, prioritising product-specific and geographically relevant data:

Structural steel products and selected coated steel products

Imperative 13 - Red List

Compliant products must not contain products listed in the 'Red List' chemical classes:

  • All of BlueScope's uncoated steel products are considered compliant with this requirement (e.g. XLERPLATE® steel, TRU-SPEC® steel, Welded beams and columns, etc.).
  • Selected coated products are also compliant. In some cases, 'special order' products that meet the Red List requirements can be made available, depending on the project and lead times.

To find out more about how BlueScope steel products may enable accreditation in any of these schemes or others, contact your BlueScope Steel representative or call Steel Direct on 1800 800 789.


Notations:

1 Excludes COLORBOND® Intramax™ steel and double-sided COLORBOND® steel (e.g. for fencing, patios and pergolas).

2 An EPD is available for COLORBOND® steel for exterior roofing and walling 0.42mm and 0.48mm in our 22 standard colours. The EPD is not applicable to COLORBOND® Ultra steel, COLORBOND® Metallic steel, COLORBOND® Coolmax® steel, COLORBOND® Intramax™ steel, COLORBOND® steel products with galvanised (zinc-coated) steel substrate, and double-sided COLORBOND® steel (e.g. for fencing, patios and pergolas).

3 21 out of the 22 colours in the COLORBOND® steel standard range feature Thermatech® technology (except Night Sky®). Thermatech® technology may not be available in other colours, and is not included in COLORBOND® Metallic steel, COLORBOND® Coolmax® steel or COLORBOND® Intramax™ steel. See colorbond.com/colours for more information. Results will depend on roof colour, level and location of insulation, type and location of building shape and function.