Software technology provider Trimble joins ResponsibleSteel

Trimble, Westminster, Colorado, has joined ResponsibleSteel, an independent, nonprofit organization that says it is the steel industry’s first global multi-stakeholder standard and certification initiative. The steel industry, as one of the largest industrial emitters of CO₂, is taking an industrywide approach to ensure that steel is responsibly sourced and produced.

Trimble is the first building information modeling (BIM) software technology provider to join the ResponsibleSteel initiative. Trimble’s Tekla software is one of the construction industry’s most widely used software product suites for the design, engineering, fabrication and detailing of steel structures.

Trimble says that with owners and operators of both building and infrastructure assets increasingly expecting their construction partners to choose sustainably sourced materials, there is a growing opportunity and urgency for the steel industry to minimize its environmental impact. It adds that with its Tekla program, engineering, detailing and construction firms and fabrication workshops can more effectively calculate and plan the use of steel in steel structures and in steel reinforcement in concrete structures.

Tekla says its embodied carbon calculator enables designers and detailers to assess the potential environmental implications of designs to quickly compare various structural options’ carbon impact. Additionally, a plugin to Tekla Structures enables the upload of material quantities in a design to One Click LCA, a lifecycle assessment software that helps users calculate and reduce the environmental impacts of their designs.

“Thanks to its industrywide nature, ResponsibleSteel has the ability to bring about impactful change to the way steel is created, sold, source and applied,” says Paivi Puntila, director of business development and sustainability lead for the structures division at Trimble. “as one of the key players in the design software for steel structures, Trimble solutions have contributed to making construction more sustainable by raising efficiencies, helping avoid waste during construction and enabling data reporting on the climate impact of projects. Our membership of ResponsibleSteel is further proof of our commitment to helping protect and build a better world to drive a sustainable future.”

ResponsibleSteel CEO Annie Heaton adds, “As the only global multi-stakeholder initiative for the responsible production of steel, we have created a platform where companies from across the steel value chain can come together to learn and work together to shape the future of the industry. Trimble, as a leading software supplier for the construction industry working to improve productivity, safety, transparency and sustainability, will be a valuable addition to the ResponsibleSteel membership community.

“Buildings and construction make up around 39 percent of global carbon emissions, 11 percent of which is from construction and the manufacture of building materials such as steel,” Heaton continues. “Tekla software allows engineers to measure and compare the carbon footprint of different structural designs, helping to reduce their environmental impact.”

In 2022, Trimble says it received approval for its emissions reduction targets by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), a coalition of the CDP, the United States Global Compact, the World Resources Institute and the World Wide Fund for Nature, joining a growing number of companies taking action on climate change. The company adds that it has also joined with other companies and climate leaders in the Business Ambition for 1.5 degrees Celsius campaign, the We Mean Business Coalition and the Race to Zero Campaign.

“Companies, through industry associations, are uniting to advance sustainability to empower collective action,” says Dietmar Grimm, vice president of Trimble corporate strategy and sustainability. “Associations provide opportunities to share best practices, collaborate on challenges important in their industries and set standards on GHG emission and the sourcing of input materials. By aligning with ResponsibleSteel, Trimble and Trimble technologies can play an important role in helping to drive the production and use of low-carbon steel as well as help position the construction industry as a sustainability innovator.”