Supply chain certification from raw material to manufactured product

Since 2014, all of Tata Steel’s UK-manufactured construction products have been certified to the BES 6001 responsible sourcing standard. Including our packaging and automotive products, we have the largest portfolio of certified products.

Responsible sourcing certification under BES 6001 covers all stages of a product’s life cycle, from provenance through the production of steel, to the manufacturing of a finished construction product ready to be used on site. The standard’s criteria cover how we manage our own facilities, as well as how responsible sourcing extends through the supply chain back to the mines where iron ore is first obtained..

BES 6001 certification reduces risk for our clients and provides them with confidence that their supply chains are acting responsibly.

Tata Steel operate and maintain a local and fully integrated steel product manufacturing supply chain. UK manufactured steel is transported by existing rail links, directly to our UK manufacturing sites allowing us to maintain complete control over every aspect of the process, ensuring we know – and can demonstrate – exactly what has been used and where. We can therefore guarantee the traceability and provenance of our products for our customers.

In addition, Tata Steel is a member of the not-for-profit scheme ‘ResponsibleSteel’. The organisation aims to drive positive change and accelerate progress towards the production, and use, of low-CO₂ steel exclusively. Tata Steel is using the ResponsibleSteel framework to help achieve and demonstrate our sustainable business practices, providing our customers with further confidence.

Gathering product life cycle data to extend the life of components and support the circular economy

Alongside Tata Steel’s range of existing digital platforms and tools, we continue to innovate and develop new platforms to support the construction industry’s drive for better sustainable performance.

One of our primary areas of focus is gathering data on products and components. Data is important throughout the product life cycle, whether to show where a product came from and how it was manufactured, to record how it has been maintained while in use, or to ensure that, in future, someone has the instructions on how to demount it.

Without the right data, our industry won’t be able to reach the levels of component refurbishment, reuse and recycling that it’s striving to achieve. Generic data is not enough; better availability of data for product instances is required instead, and is the starting point to create a digital twin.

A Tata Steel innovation designed to ensure that data sits with products throughout the life of a building is ‘Tag and Track’. Early trials have taken place, with a view to rolling out the scheme across all products. A QR code located on the steel product directs the user to a product landing page, from where a range of product information can be accessed. The information can be tailored to the project or to individual users, and can include environmental performance data, Declarations of Performance and product data.