18 Mar 2026
The first project has been certified under Green Star Fitouts, the new national rating tool launched today by the Green Building Council of Australia to address the growing carbon and waste impact of interiors.
The tool is the first in Australia to embed circularity as a core requirement for fitouts, setting a new benchmark for how interior projects are designed, delivered and renewed.
The certified project, led by Dexus for the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, demonstrates how interiors can be designed for reuse and reconfiguration rather than demolition at lease end, using Dexus’s modular Forever Fitout approach.
GBCA Chief Executive Officer Davina Rooney said fitouts represent one of the biggest missed opportunities to cut carbon and waste inside buildings.
“Fitouts have long been treated as short-term, cosmetic decisions, yet they are responsible for a surprisingly large share of a building’s carbon and waste,” Ms Rooney said.
“When interiors are stripped out and rebuilt every few years, the carbon and waste impacts compound. Green Star Fitouts is designed to break that cycle by embedding circularity into how fitouts are planned from day one.”
Fitouts are emerging as a major carbon and waste hotspot in commercial buildings, accounting for around 32 per cent of a building’s lifecycle carbon emissions and can generate more than 360 tonnes of waste per office fitout.
Because interiors are typically replaced every five to seven years, these impacts repeat again and again across a building’s lifespan.
Traditional commercial fitouts can embed around 200kg of carbon per square metre, largely due to demolition and replacement cycles – an impact that modular, reusable fitout systems are designed to reduce.
The launch of Green Star Fitouts responds to growing scrutiny of interiors as one of the least consistently measured, yet most resource-intensive parts of the built environment.
Building on the former Green Star Interiors tool, the new rating system embeds circular economy principles into the design, delivery and renewal of fitouts.
Green Star Fitouts can be applied across a broad range of interior projects, including office, commercial and retail fitouts, as well as education, health, community and other frequently occupied spaces where interior design decisions shape long-term performance and experience.
Developed by Dexus in collaboration with Woods Bagot, the project applies Dexus’s Forever Fitout approach, using modular, durable components that can be reconfigured across multiple tenancies, reducing the need for repeated strip-outs, make-good works and construction downtime.
The Dexus and CEFC project has been independently certified under the Green Star Fitouts Early Access Program, making it the first project to achieve certification under the new tool.
Andy Collins, Executive General Manager, Office at Dexus, said the project shows how circular fitouts can be delivered at scale without compromising quality or commercial outcomes.
“Commercial fitouts have traditionally been one of the most carbon‑intensive parts of office buildings,” Mr Collins said.
“By designing interiors to be reused and reconfigured rather than stripped out and rebuilt, Forever Fitout shows how that impact can be significantly reduced while also accelerating delivery for tenants.”
“Green Star Fitouts provides an important, credible framework to measure and verify these outcomes, giving both tenants and investors confidence that circular design can deliver long‑term environmental and commercial value.”
Ms Rooney said the Early Access Program was deliberately designed to ensure the tool was grounded in real-world delivery.
“Early access partners like Dexus have helped us test Green Star Fitouts in live projects, not just on paper,” she said.
“These projects show that circularity is not theoretical. It is already being delivered in commercial buildings today.”
Commercial fitouts are increasingly recognised as a major contributor to a building’s lifecycle emissions and landfill waste, particularly as operational emissions decline and embodied carbon becomes more material.
Green Star Fitouts introduces a dedicated circularity category, encouraging reuse, adaptability and design for disassembly so materials stay in use for longer and future strip-outs can be avoided.
The tool also aligns with emerging regulatory and market expectations, including mandatory climate-related financial disclosures, rising landfill levies, and growing scrutiny of Scope 3 emissions and circular economy performance.
“Circularity is quickly becoming a commercial and risk issue, not just a sustainability one,” Ms Rooney said.
“As costs rise and disclosure expectations tighten, industry needs consistent, credible frameworks to understand impacts and make better long-term decisions. Green Star Fitouts is designed to provide that clarity.”
While carbon and waste reduction sit at the core of the new tool, Green Star Fitouts also recognises the role interiors play in health, productivity and experience, shaping indoor air quality, lighting, acoustics and thermal comfort.
Research consistently shows that healthier, better-designed workplaces deliver measurable productivity and retention benefits, with fitout decisions playing a critical role in how people experience space.
Green Star Fitouts is now open for project registrations across Australia. Visit our website for more information.