ASI led the steel industry’s drive to achieve sustainable steel in 2025-2026. Key sustainability initiatives included:
- A submission to the Federal Government Climate Change Authority on its 2025 Annual Progress Report, advocating for natural gas at internationally competitive pricing to enable the transition from blast furnace ironmaking to decarbonised alternatives, and faster government regulatory approval for renewable energy projects.
- A submission to the Federal Government Department of Industry, Science and Resources on Green Aluminium Production Credit Consultation Paper, addressing the proposed green aluminium production credit in the context of a potential fit for steel producers.
- ASI continued to advocate for regulatory controls on the export of unprocessed steel scrap via a submission and presentation at a hearing to the inquiry into decommissioning oil and gas infrastructure in Victoria (Bass Strait), as well as via a letter to the WA Minister for Energy and Decarbonisation on retention and domestic recycling of scrap steel from decommissioned infrastructure in Western Australia.
- Australian Steel Stewardship Forum (ASSF), chaired by the ASI, advocated for the inclusion of whole-of-life carbon reduction measurement for building materials at the project level (rather than purely upfront carbon reduction) through consultations with various organisations, including INZ on their embodied carbon clause initiative and Infrastructure NSW on their decarbonising infrastructure policy.
- ASSF, as a member of the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC), supported the strategic imperatives of a sustainable built environment, including accelerating decarbonisation, enhancing resilience and adaptation to climate change risk and transitioning to a circular economy.
- ASI consulted with Green Building Council Australia on introducing new credits in the Green Star rating system to reward circularity in the manufacturing and use of building materials at the project level.
- ASI invited onto the Department of Science, Industry and Resources-funded Standards Australia Low Carbon Metals Expert Advisory Group. Scope of work includes:
- mapping of relevant national, regional, and international standards.
- wetting and refining policy priorities for low‑carbon metals.
- endorsing definitions and terminology set for national adoption, including “green steel”
- ASI secured a presentation spot at Australia’s largest construction event Sydney Build Expo on the topic Steel: Circular Solutions for a Sustainable Future, where it highlighted the benefits of steel as a circular material and presented the St Mary’s PO project, a case study on carbon reduction using design for deconstruction.
- Presented to the Brisbane Olympics Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority (GIICA) on sustainability credentials of steel and the responsible procurement of steel for Brisbane 2032 projects.
- ASI through Standards Australia ISO/TC 59/SC 17 – Sustainability in buildings and civil engineering works supported a proposal to develop a new standard to develop data templates to digitalise environmental product declaration data to feed into building information models.
- ASI arranged a meeting with the Federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water to understand the impact of the industrial deep decarbonisation (IDDI) initiative on the steel supply chain. One of the IDDI’s initiatives is the Green Public Procurement Pledge. The ASI has joined an expert panel to review data reporting, standard harmonisation and public procurement ahead of deciding whether to take up the pledge.
- Continued representation on the International Steelwork Contractors Group sustainability committee to keep up to date on international sustainability-related policy eg carbon regulation that will affect the local steel supply chain.
