An Australian Steel Institute (ASI)-developed certification scheme to improve steel sustainability – Steel Sustainability Australia (SSA) - has been recognised globally with a major international award.
In London on October 26 to receive the World Steel constructsteel award, SSA manager Melinda Coles said the international recognition highlighted the scheme’s potential to drive meaningful sustainability change across the steel supply chain and address environmental, social and governance (ESG) impacts at every stage of production and supply.
“By extending sustainability certification beyond crude steel mills to downstream suppliers and manufacturing sites, the scheme helps ensure that steel products used in our infrastructure and built environments are sourced and manufactured by sustainability-certified businesses throughout the supply chain.” The Australian Steel Institute (ASI) developed the scheme to help the steel industry improve its sustainability performance.
Australia proudly took home two of the three international constructsteel awards, with ASI member Rondo Building Services receiving the Innovation of the Year award for its Western Sydney International Airport ceiling project. This project also won the ASI Steel Excellence Award for NSW.
The remaining constructsteel award – Best Project of the Year – was taken by the UK’s Hill Dickinson Stadium project.
In her acceptance speech on behalf of the SSA team, Melinda thanked ASI national sustainability advisor Jerusha Beresford, former senior advisor on sustainability Michael Dawson, and manufacturing advisor David Varcoe for their leadership and technical expertise in developing the SSA scheme. “I’d also like to acknowledge the Green Building Council of Australia, InfraBuild and BlueScope for their valuable guidance throughout the scheme’s development; and Clare Broadbent and the team at constructsteel for the award.
ASI chief executive Mark Cain said the award was a great milestone in the ASI’s and the local steel community’s collective efforts to build a more sustainable steel industry. He said the ASI has been a strong launchpad for international success, with five ASI Steel Excellence Award and Sustainability Award winners going on to win global awards in recent years.
In addition to SSA and Western Sydney Airport in 2026, St Marys Integrated Project Office (Robert Bird Group) won in 2025 for excellence in sustainability; Sydney Modern Australia (Arup) won in 2024 for best project of the year, and Monash University and Coates won the 2023 Innovation of the Year with the Quadshore Temporary Propping System (Australia). “When you see the competition that our entries from Australia were up against, it makes this year’s achievement of winning two of the three categories even more impressive.
constructsteel is a program of the World Steel Association (worldsteel), which represents the international steel community. The ASI is the peak body for the Australian steel industry, representing 700 companies and 7,000 members. Steel generates 100,000 jobs and $30b in annual revenue in Australia.
About the Australian Steel Institute
The Australian Steel Institute (ASI) is the peak body representing Australia’s steel industry, including manufacturers, distributors, fabricators and allied industries. The ASI advocates for policies that support a competitive, sustainable and sovereign Australian steel industry. The ASI represents 7,000 members and 700 companies nationally.
For more information on this press release or to interview ASI chief executive Mark Cain, please contact ASI marketing and communications manager Steven Andrew on 0473 480 964 or [email protected].
