GBCA to encourage best practice PVC production in Australia

Thu 14 Jan, 2010 GBCA Media Releases

The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) is taking steps to recognise environmental advances made by Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) manufacturers across Australia, in order to continue to drive production and use of best practice materials.

A revised GBCA Green Star PVC credit has been released today for a five week public comment period, following an extensive 18-month review.

The GBCA constantly reviews Green Star credits across all nine of its rating categories, listening to feedback and studying the results of assessments, to ensure that each credit evolves with the industry. Regular review ensures that Green Star credits stay relevant, robust and easy to use.

The PVC credit, as applied over the past five years, has encouraged the minimisation of all PVC use in green buildings. The new credit revisions will encourage the development and use of best practice PVC material in Australia.

According to Chief Executive, Romilly Madew, the GBCA hopes the new credit will act as a driver for positive change within the PVC industry.

"Rewarding best practice PVC products within the Green Star rating system will stimulate demand for best practice, responsibly-produced PVC products in Australia," said Ms Madew.

A series of Expert Reference Panel meetings, site visits, discussions with key stakeholders, and examination of international studies had shown that the lifecycle of PVC, from raw materials and production through use to end-of-life, recycling and disposal has changed considerably in the past five years, Ms Madew explained.

"The GBCA wants to drive the Australian PVC industry towards best practice production. Best practice PVC production and product lifecycle management minimises the environmental and human health risks previously associated with PVC building materials."

The revised PVC credit sets out key best practice criteria to help project teams understand which products have a reduced environmental impact. Under the revised credit, projects will be able to claim two points towards their Green Star rating if the project's flooring, cable, pipe and conduit - which together account for the majority of PVC use in buildings - meet the GBCA's Best Practice Guidelines.

These Guidelines establish best practice criteria throughout the life cycle of PVC products, covering:

Chlorine (production of materials for PVC);
Vinyl Chloride Monomer (VCM) (production of materials for PVC);
Waste, Water, Air and Product Emission thresholds for Ethylene Dichloride (EDC), VCM, and PVC Resin (manufacture of PVC);
Stabilisers and Plasticisers (manufacture of PVC); and
End of Life Product Stewardship (disposal and recycling of PVC).

The Chief Executive Officer of the Vinyl Council of Australia (VCA), Sophi MacMillan, praised the GBCA for undertaking its comprehensive review of the life cycle of PVC building products and of the PVC industry in Australia.

"We support the GBCA's approach to encourage, support and provide incentives for best practice performance in the built environment. At the same time, Green Star will help drive innovation in the PVC sector by recognising those individual manufacturers and product suppliers who achieve significant advances".

"There is now an opportunity for our industry to demonstrate it can continue its momentum for more sustainable product outcomes to meet the future needs of the building and construction industry. The VCA looks forward to working with the GBCA and the property industry to support the introduction of the new PVC Green Star credit," Ms MacMillan said.

Plastics Industry Pipe Association (PIPA) representative Mark Heathcote said the GBCA was to be commended for recognising advances in the PVC industry in general, and the Australian pipe sector in particular.

"The changes being introduced by the GBCA are the culmination of a long and rigorous review of PVC use in the built environment," Mr Heathcote said. "There is no doubt the new approach will genuinely encourage the use of best practice products and in doing so offer a clear and positive driver to which the Australian industry will respond."

The revision of the PVC credit is part of a wider review of four of the GBCA's Green Star Materials category 'credits' - Steel, Timber, PVC and Concrete. The results of the Timber credit were released in December 2009 and results from the Steel and Concrete reviews will be released in 2010.

Under the revised Green Star PVC credit, the use of PVC flooring, pipe and cable products in developments will be audited by independent Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand (JAS-ANZ) certification bodies and RABQSA accredited auditors.

Ms Madew said there were already signs that the introduction of GBCA's Best Practice Guidelines for PVC would push the PVC industry towards better production techniques.

"By encouraging best practice, the GBCA is pushing the PVC industry towards solutions which will benefit the building industry and the environment."

The revised PVC credit can be viewed online.

The public comment period will be open until 19 February 2010.

For further information please contact:

Romilly Madew
Chief Executive Officer
Green Building Council of Australia
Telephone: 02 8239 6200

Trudy Wise
Wise McBaron Communication
Telephone: 02 9279 4770 or 0418 220028

About Green Star

Green Star is a comprehensive, national, voluntary environmental rating system that evaluates the environmental design and construction of buildings and, with 11 per cent of Australia's CBD commercial office buildings Green Star certified, building green is now a business imperative. Green Star was developed for the property industry in order to: