Intentions may have been good, but the Green Building Council of Australia’s (GBCA) new forest management scheme could subvert the green intentions of some architects and developers and discriminate against the use of wood, a union boss has said.
If the GBCA’s new Assessment Framework for Forest Management Certification Scheme is implemented, wood could become a less attractive material in the construction of green buildings, CEO of the Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union (CFMEU), Michael O'Connor, said.
"The way the GBCA have set up this process discriminates against the use of sustainable timber, and encourages the use of other products," he said.
"It will encourage carbon production and pollution because it will encourage the use of aluminium and steel over timber, which is counter-productive."
The new scheme is part of the GBCA’s ongoing review of the Green Star environmental rating tools for buildings.
The framework was developed in consultation with an independent Timber Expert Reference Panel and addresses the stakeholder concerns over the exclusive recognition of only one timber certification scheme.
Robin Mellon, GBCA's Green Star executive director, says that the new framework will create a level playing field for certification schemes, simplify compliance requirements in the Green Star ‘Timber’ credit and encourage the use of Australian timber over illegal imported timber.
"These revisions to Green Star will encourage the specification of reused and post-consumer recycled timber, as well as virgin timber certified by forest management certification schemes that meet the requirements of the new framework," Mellon said.
Forest certification schemes seeking recognition in the Green Star timber credit will be assessed according to how many of the framework's fifteen best practice criteria it partially or fully meets. An independent third party will assess documentation and make recommendations to the GBCA and a full report will be provided to each application scheme and made public on the GBCA website.
