Progressing NZ’s first steel sustainability certification
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We are progressing development of New Zealand’s first ever, steel specific sustainability certification. In 2019, we developed the SSC Certification ‘audit tool’, which is based on the priorities identified by our stakeholders in the materiality analysis underpinning our charter. These priorities reflect Treasury’s Living Standards Framework and relevant UN Sustainable Development Goals.
We are currently piloting the tool working with businesses. And, importantly, the tool is designed for businesses of all sizes. As one of the tool’s creators and SSC board member Scott Morrison says: “I was acutely aware that there was no point trying to pose a corporate structure onto a smaller player. I was very aware to make the tool and sustainability approachable for them.”
So, how does the tool work?
The first iteration of the tool asks 22 questions across the four capitals of the Living Standards Framework (human, social, physical, natural), with a rating between 0-3 given as a score for each question. This is designed is to help companies reflect upon, and holistically discuss sustainability; what operations they have in place, are missing, or could realistically improve on.
Piloting the tool
Between December 2019 and February 2020, we have trialled the tool, working in-person with businesses going through the tool’s question and answer process. We’ve found that these businesses are already active on the sustainability journey and the audit tool helps to frame and record their progress, particularly in areas of human and social sustainability.
Furthermore, the tool has facilitated the blossoming of many ‘low hanging fruits’ that even smaller organisations could harvest for better business and sustainable practices. It has also guided the direction of what resources and tools SSC will need to constantly develop to support our members.
Within those two months, we’ve successfully audited 11 companies in the pilot trial of the SSC Certification audit tool. Our goal for 2020, is to have 60 audits completed and 60 more companies on the sustainability journey.
To hear more about what the businesses thought of the tool, read their comments here.
To join the SSC journey and get certified find out more here
Our vision for this tool and the journey to achieving SSC Certification is to help you identify areas that you can easily improve upon, whilst providing the resources and tools to help you get there. We all need to play our part in living and operating more sustainably.