Hot-rolled structural steel is the greenest structural material on the market, thanks to its unsurpassed recycled content and ability to be recycled into new steel, over and over again, with no loss of properties.

It's an obvious choice for the Buy Clean movement, which advocates for environmental properties that encourage the use of products and materials with a smaller carbon footprint.

But the industry is complex. That's why the American Institute of Steel Construction has released a series of guidelines to help legislators leverage everything structural steel has to offer for sustainable design and construction.

"American hot-rolled structural steel is precisely the sort of material that Buy Clean legislation is intended to promote, so it's a natural fit," said AISC Director of Government Relations and Sustainability Max Puchtel, SE, PE. "AISC has helped policymakers craft smart and informed Buy Clean policies since 2017, and we're proud to continue to serve as the leading expert resource for lawmakers."

The new guidelines help legislators navigate the intricacies of the larger steel industry to create policies that take full advantage of the structural steel supply chain, accurately reflect structural steel's embodied carbon potential, and evaluate all structural materials on an apples-to-apples basis to allow designers to make informed decisions.

"We support Buy Clean policies that weigh all structural materials equally--after all, we're all working toward decarbonization," Puchtel added. "We all win when designers make responsible material choices."

Learn more at aisc.org/buyclean.