Discussion Paper: Life Cycle Assessment in Green Star

Download the Discussion Paper (PDF - 1.6MB)

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a methodology used to estimate the overall environmental impact of materials or products during their lifetime. LCA is currently used by some in the Australian property and construction industry to identify and prioritise the use of products and materials with lower environmental impacts. Currently, the Green Star materials category does not require projects to evaluate the impact of materials using LCA; but instead contains specific criteria that address opportunities for reduced environmental impact.

The perceived benefits of an LCA-based methodology prompted the release of a discussion paper, in order to explore how LCA may be effectively incorporated into the Green Star Materials category. The way in which LCA may be incorporated into the Green Star Materials category will be the subject of future stakeholder discussion. This document initiated the discussion by outlining how LCA methodology may be appropriately incorporated into Green Star.

GBCA received a number of feedback submissions on the paper which are under review by our Green Star team. Submissions are now closed.