From December, 2015 all projects registering for Green Star certification will need to apply under the newest suite of Green Star tools, released in 2014. This includes Green Star – Design & As Built and Green Star – Interiors.
Following an extensive review in consultation with GBCA stakeholders, these updated versions have completely revamped the consideration of materials and products used in projects under a number of revised and new credits. One of the changes has been to widen the range of PVC applications considered commonly used. The Responsible Building Materials credit encourages projects that specify PVC pipes, cables, floor coverings and now, blinds and permanent formwork, to source only those PVC products that have been independently verified as Best Practice PVC.
Blinds include interior window coverings that contain vinyl. Thermoplastics such as PVC and polystyrene as well as other materials are increasingly being used to pre-fabricate formwork for concrete wall construction systems where the formwork materials remain in place for the life of the building. The inclusion of permanent formwork in the Responsible Building Materials credit recognises that the use of PVC in permanent, or stay-in-place (SIP) formwork systems is on the rise, and when it is used on a project, it often accounts for a substantial proportion of all the PVC, or vinyl used in the project.
Since the Green Building Council of Australia released the Best Practice Guidelines for Manufacturing PVC in 2010, numerous vinyl product suppliers have undergone rigorous third party verification of their products’ supply chains to achieve compliance with the benchmarks set in the Guidelines. Many of these suppliers’ products are now listed on the online Best Practice PVC register and are identified by the Best Environmental Practice PVC licence mark.
Other suppliers are currently preparing for, or are undergoing the audit process and this may continue to grow with the inclusion of blinds and permanent formwork in the credit.
The benefit of encouraging specification of Best Practice manufactured products is that it incentivises improvement throughout the product supply chain as it is both measurable (verifiable) and achievable. For the building industry, it means any negative issues are addressed while still allowing the proven benefits of the product or material – durability, affordability, low maintenance etc – to be accessed by building designers and specifiers.
The Best Practice PVC criteria developed for Green Star has led to significant change in the vinyl industry, ensuring PVC building products are being manufactured to the highest environmental, health and social performance standards. It has driven product innovation and raised the bar in manufacturing to provide construction products that positively contribute to a more sustainable built environment.
Click here to get in contact with Vinyl Council of Australia.
