TRANSFORM 2020

InfraBuild Customer and Market Relationship Manager Rob Johnson was one of several sustainability experts to share insights, innovations and initiatives for driving sustainability and responding to climate change and disruption in the construction industry at this year’s Transform 2020 conference.

This year’s event, which was held as a virtual conference from 24–25 March, was sponsored by InfraBuild (formerly LIBERTY OneSteel) and other major participants in the construction supply chain. Over the course of two days, Transform explored avenues for progress in areas such as carbon, climate change resilience, sustainable supply chains with a view to “looking at sustainability through the lens of innovation, with a holistic and deeper focus”.

InfraBuild’s Rob Johnson joined leaders from organisations including Lendlease, thinkstep-anz, CYP Design & Construction, Interface and Holcim in a session to discuss the challenge of tackling global upfront carbon emissions produced by the building and construction sector. 

Among Rob’s key contributions to the discussion was InfraBuild’s strategy of becoming fully carbon neutral by 2030. 

He also spoke about InfraBuild’s initiatives in the following areas:

• Renewables. InfraBuild is increasing its investment in, and utilisation of, renewable energy to reduce its carbon footprint
• Warm Charging. Using the retained heat in billets direct from the caster straight to the rolling process, reducing the need for pre-heating in furnaces
• Compliance. InfraBuild ensures its product complies with relevant specifications, reducing the need for rework and remediation (i.e. the product is only made once)
• Design Optimisation. InfraBuild encourages early engagement on projects to enable more efficient design, often with reduced material requirements, to lower levels of embodied carbon
• Offsets. Purchasing of appropriate and accepted carbon offsets to assist the delivery of carbon neutrality.

Resources for further reading

• InfraBuild has compiled a number of sustainability resources in one location here.
• InfraBuild recognises the need for transparency about the environmental performance of its supply chain and products, and has published four Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) that comply with the requirements of a valid EPD recognised in the Green Star Design Rating Tool (GBCA) and the IS® Rating Tool (Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia). Read more about InfraBuild’s range of EPDs 
• InfraBuild is committed to the role of steel in the circular economy, including the recovery, reuse and recycling of steel. Read more about InfraBuild’s essential role in the circular economy here.
• Find out how InfraBuild is innovating supply chain transparency and traceability to transform the assessment of the sustainability of steel. Read more about how InfraBuild is helping to promoting a sustainable steel supply chain here
• InfraBuild intends to be an agent by becoming fully carbon neutral by 2030. Read more about InfraBuild’s plan to become a world leader in sustainable industry here