More information for products manufacturers and initiatives
For product manufacturers
Products recognised by more than one initiative
A product can be recognised by more than one initiative, and potentially achieve a higher Responsible Product Value (RPV). However, if the product is certified by more than one initiative that recognises certain criteria, these points will only count once.
In the example below, “Corporate Commitment on Climate” and “Environmental Management” criteria has been recognised by both certifications so can only be counted once.
Understanding RPVs for products with multiple certifications:
The initiative score checker
In addition to the Responsible Products calculator, the initiative score checker has been created to allow users to view their responsible product value for each product certification initiative as well as initiative combinations. Initiatives and manufacturers recognised by these initiatives can check their score here.
To view the scores of each initiative and initiative combinations, click ‘+’ at the end of each row and see score at bottom of page.
If you’re recognised by an initiative the GBCA doesn’t currently recognise, project teams can still specify the use of products manually in the products calculator.
New initiatives are regularly reviewed for recognition. You can nominate an initiative for recognition by emailing us. Contact us here.
Note: If your product has been certified by an initiative that has not been recognised by the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) which does not share its products data with GBCA, your product will not appear in the database. However, project teams can still specify the use of such products manually in the Products Calculator.
How Responsible Products are added to the database
GBCA receives regular updates from Product Certification Initiatives about the products they certify. Products certified by initiatives able to provide data to the GBCA are automatically added to the calculator and database.
It is the responsibility of product manufacturers to ensure that a products’ certificate/s remain up to date. If certificates expire, project teams will be unable to specify the products to meet the Responsible Credits.
If you have any questions on certification you can:
- Check to see if your product is certified by one of the GBCA recognised initiatives and calculate your RPV in the score checker here
- Get in touch with the initiatives that have provided the certification if you have any questions
For product certification initiatives
How an initiative is recognised
Initiatives are assessed based on their compliance with the Responsible Products Guidelines’ minimum expectations as well as one or multiple categories (referred to in the Responsible Products Guidelines for Initiatives which are coming soon).
What happens once my initiative is recognised?
Once an initiative achieves recognition, a letter will be provided outlining the score. The initiative will be responsible for providing GBCA with the relevant information for the responsible products database. This information is, but is not limited to:
- Unique product identifier or certificate number
- Product name
- Product line name
- Recognised initiative name and version
- Manufacturer
- Factory
- Date of issue
- Date of expiry
The GBCA will require initiatives to update this information regularly. For more information, email us.
Frequently asked questions
The GBCA’s responsible products program rewards products that have lower environmental impact, are transparent, respect human rights, and are taking action to reduce carbon content.
The Green Building Council of Australia does not certify individual products. It relies on initiatives to verify product level outcomes. You can check if the initiative you’re certified by is currently recognised here.
If a product has been accredited with a recognised initiative, the product will appear in the Responsible Products Calculator.
A certificate needs to be current at the time the credit is submitted. Any product with an expired certificate will not be able to be selected or specified for use in the Responsible Credits. GBCA will manage expiry of certificates with the initiatives by asking them to check quarterly that all certifications issued to GBCA are current.
At this point, initiatives send data to the GBCA every quarter. It may be that a product has received certification in the past 3 months and it’s yet to be updated. GBCA plans to implement Application Program Interfaces to pull data directly from organisations so all information is live. Contact the manufacturer and check quarterly if they have a current certificate and if they do, then add the product and certificate to the calculator.
You can watch this video or read the Responsible Calculator guide.
GBCA recognises different initiatives and all initiatives certify products and materials in different ways. To understand how each initiative works, visit their website. To understand how they score in Green Star (their Responsible Product Value) you can look at the Initiative score checker here.
No, the Responsible Credits are as different as the outcomes the tools measure.
The Buildings tool currently measures Responsible Structure, Envelope, Systems and Finishes.
When the new Communities and Fitouts tools are released, they too will have Responsible Credits that GBCA believe will provide better outcomes for the projects they rate.
The Responsible Products program rewards reuse of products. Products that are reused, will automatically be awarded Best Practice across any of the Responsible Products credits. To be recognised for reusing products, add the product into the calculator. For cost, input the cost to replace the product (i.e., a product with similar characteristics). The evidence should be a quote to replace the reused element.
Teams can choose to use the excel spreadsheet or the Online Calculator whilst the Calculator is in Beta phase. We will communicate when the spreadsheet is no longer available for use in the Green Star Rating tools.
Currently, no. The Calculator and Database are for Green Star teams to achieve points in Green Star Buildings.
All changes to the data in the database must be made by the Certification Initiative. We recommend that the project team inform the manufacturer if they find an error, the manufacturer can then let the initiative know so they can correct the information and pass it on to the GBCA. GBCA are unable to make changes to product information on behalf of anyone else other than initiatives.