Ecospecifier recognised under GBCA’s product certification assessment framework

Ecospecifier has been recognised under the Green Building Council of Australia’s (GBCA’s) Assessment Framework for Product Certification Schemes.

Ecospecifier’s GreenTag GreenRate Assessment is only the second to be completed and recognised under the framework. The Carpet Institute of Australia’s Environmental Certification Scheme was the first to be recognised in March 2010.

This recognition means that products certified by GreenRate (one of two streams of the GreenTag scheme) under three categories - ‘carpet and flooring’, ‘furniture’ and ‘walls, partitions and ceilings’ - may achieve points under the Materials Category in the Green Star environmental rating tools for buildings.

According to the GBCA’s Green Star Executive Director, Robin Mellon, Ecospecifier’s product certification scheme was recognised after stringent independent assessment.

“Ecospecifier’s achievement is yet further confirmation that all schemes can now be recognised equally, provided they meet the strict criteria of the framework,” Mellon says. “We expect more schemes will be recognised in the coming months.”

The GBCA does not test, review or certify products or materials being used in buildings registered for Green Star. Instead, third-party certification bodies are relied on for testing and environmental assessments of products and materials.

The Assessment Framework for Product Certification Schemes was developed as part of the GBCA’s ongoing review of the Green Star environmental rating system for buildings.

For further information about the GBCA’s Assessment Framework for Product Certification Schemes, visit the website.