BlueScope update EPDs – adding value to their customers

14th Dec 2020

BlueScope published Australia’s very first EPDs registered by EPD Australasia. Now, five years later they have released a suite of updated EPDs. Once again, BlueScope are first off the mark, this time being the first to publish to standard EN15804:2012+A2:2019 under EPD Australasia. By taking the lead on benchmarking, BlueScope expresses its strong commitment to environmental transparency, sustainability and product stewardship.

We spoke to Pip Stone, Sustainability Manager at BlueScope about the company’s strong commitment to environmental transparency and EPDs.

Why has BlueScope chosen to update their EPDs?

To remain current, an EPD must be updated as a minimum, every five years. As BlueScope’s steelmaking processes and inputs have changed, so have their impacts – the EPDs have been updated to reflect these changes.

Standards have also changed over five years. BlueScope’s updated EPDs are the first Australasian EPDs to be published in line with EN 15804:2012+A2:2019. As this is a new standard, results have also been published in line with the previous standard (EN 15804:2012+A1:2013) to enable comparison.

What other changes have you made to improve BlueScope’s EPDs?

Results are now split by steel grade groups, based on their carbon and alloy content (Low carbon, Medium carbon and Alloyed steel), providing BlueScope’s customers and other interested stakeholders with more specific and accurate information about the products.

There are a range of industry average EPDs for your product categories. Why produce EPDs specific to BlueScope?

BlueScope’s product specific EPDs give our customers the confidence of knowing the results are representative of the exact product they have specified. Where customers are assessing the environmental impact of a whole structure or development, using product-specific EPDs can enable more informed decision-making which may lead to improved environmental outcomes.

Why is it important for your customers that BlueScope has verified EPDs?

EPDs can help to earn points for Green Star and Infrastructure Sustainability (IS) Rating. Specifying BlueScope products with EPDs can be a fast, cost-effective means for our customers to increase points for their projects. It also gives customers confidence that the products they are specifying meet all relevant standards. BlueScope EPDs are verified to be compliant with International Standard ISO 14025 and the best practice European Standard EN 15804.

Our direct and indirect customers looking to better understand their own environmental impacts can use BlueScope EPDs to help support whole of life assessment for end uses such as buildings, infrastructure and their components.