01 Sep 2022
Green Star Buildings aims to drive all buildings in Australia to be fossil fuel free, highly efficient, powered by renewables, built with low upfront carbon emissions, and offset with nature by 2030. To drive this change forward, the Climate Positive Pathway was introduced into Green Star Buildings as a series of Minimum Expectations. These expectations change over time.
As noted in the Submissions Guidelines, projects registering on 1 January 2023, seeking a 6 Star rating, must also achieve the Other Carbon Emissions - Exceptional Performance (embodied carbon and other emissions under the buildings owner's control)*. 5 Star rating, must also achieve the Climate Positive Pathway requirements of:
In addition, all buildings that register after 1 January 2026 will need to meet the Climate Positive Pathway requirements noted above, and, any building that achieves certification after 1 January 2030 (regardless of when submission or registration occurs) must comply with specific Climate Positive Pathway requirements.
* This means that the pathway for 6 star rated assets will now contribute 17 points (including one Leadership point) to the rating.
The following are the deadlines that must be met to be considered registered before 1 January 2023:
Projects already registered under Green Star – Design & As Built (any version) that wish to change their registration to Green Star Buildings are subject to the ‘Registering from 2020 onwards’ requirements regardless when they update their rating tool. They are not subject to the 2023 requirements. However, those upgrading are still subject to the requirement that applies to all buildings under 'Certified after 1st January 2030, regardless of registration date'.
We are excited for the technical release of Green Star Performance v2 this September.
Green Star Performance v2 will introduce a revised rating scale and a new online platform that will automate and streamline your reporting process and make it easier to fulfil your ESG obligations and communicate their benefits to investors.
Join us for a FREE webinar, 11:00am – 12:30pm on Wednesday 14 September when we release the submission guidelines for the new rating tool - Green Star Performance v2.
If you are working with the current Green Star Performance rating tool or are looking to improve how you manage existing assets, this webinar is the best opportunity to understand changes to the new version, see what they mean for your projects and get your questions answered. We will explore:
You can still register under Green Star Performance v1, but you will need to transition to the next version by 1 July 2025. If you are interested in registering a new Green Star – Performance project or portfolio during the transition phase, please speak to a member of the GBCA Market Engagement team for further advice.
The technical release is aimed at helping you get your building ready for registration and certification which won’t be available until mid-2023.
All projects registered or certified under Green Star Performance v1 will need to transition to the new version of Green Star Performance by 1 July 2025. That is, any certification after this date will need to be under Green Star Performance v2. We will be providing a number of additional resources and services to help you transition, and more information will be provided during the webinar.
If you would like to discuss your transition program, contact us at METeam@gbca.org.au
In preparation for the release of v2, we are making some changes to the existing Green Star – Performance rating tool:
The Green Star – Performance Certification Agreement is being updated to reflect the annual certification cycle being introduced with v2.
Green Star – Performance v1.2 projects will now be invoiced at the annual subscription rate only.
New registrations for Green Star – Performance will continue to have initial certification, followed by annual audit stages until transitioning to v2.
For more information, contact us at METeam@gbca.org.au
We continuously strive to improve your Green Star experience. Here are just some of our most recent improvements to make your Green Star journey easier:
Visit the Green Star resources to download the document. For a background, head here.
The 17A Sustainable Transport calculator is now available for project teams to use without having to submit a Technical Question to the GBCA. The calculator will require the same inputs as before as well as new inputs for determining the walkability of the project’s location. Note this is only for the 17A Sustainable Transport calculator which can be downloaded from the Resources portal. For more information, refer to FAQ 00096.
The Financial Transparency Disclosure Template for the Industry Development credit in Green Star Buildings is now available. This will be temporarily downloaded from the Resources portal until the import function is developed for Green Star Online. The current template will be used for importing into the submission forms. Further instructions will be provided once the import function is available.
Check out the FAQs which are available for you to use on your project right now for FREE. There’s this popular one on "What is the process for upgrading my project from Design & As Built to Green Star Buildings?" and many more credit-specific FAQs.
Want more information on Green Star? Go to our Resources page and also our Rating system page to find the latest information available on all Green Star ratings.
In the latest issue of Green Building Voice, Davina Rooney provides an update on the GBCA’s position on projects that claim to be Green Star equivalent (or “designed to”). In the article titled “All that glitters is not green” she flags the greater scrutiny placed on a project’s sustainability credentials by organisations such as the ACCC and investors.
“We have built Green Star’s reputation as a trusted trademark. Misusing Green Star or NABERS trademark breaches that trust. In fact, the Australian Government’s Sustainable Procurement Guide notes that “projects that claim to meet the requirements of Green Star but are not certified are potentially in breach of trademark rules and may be accused of ‘greenwash’.” Davina states.
The article also contains support for Green Star Certification from other sustainability leaders in industry and government, as well as explains what efforts we have taken to address this issue. Click here to read the article.
Check out our most recent FAQs, or view and search all FAQs - they're free!