The revised Green Star PVC Credit introduced in April 2010 by the Green Building Council of Australia recognises the environmental advances made by PVC resin and product manufacturers across Australia.
One year on, the introduction of the revised Green Star PVC Credit has seen the building and construction industry take a new look at the use of PVC in flooring and resilient wall coverings, cable, pipe and conduit.
Vinyl Council of Australia CEO, Sophi MacMillan says that the revised PVC Credit would allow builders, specifiers and architects to gain Green Star points for use of certain vinyl products including pipes that meet best practice criteria in manufacturing in addition to the minimisation credit being eliminated for other vinyl products.
She explains that the previous Green Star rating tools awarded points for not using PVC products, which led to PVC being de-selected as a material of choice for building projects seeking Green Star certification. But the revised Green Star Credit allows certified best practice PVC products the opportunity to earn points towards a building project’s Green Star accreditation.
Local manufacturer of PVC resin Australian Vinyls has made Green Star compliant PVC resin available to the construction and building industry from their local manufacturing plant in Laverton North, Victoria.
The Think Pipes. Think PVC is an initiative by Australian Vinyls to create more awareness about PVC pipes and promote the usage of best environmental practice PVC pipes across a range of markets.
According to Nigel Jones, Market Development Manager, Think Pipes. Think PVC, PVC has been proven by many international authorities including the GBCA to be a viable option for construction. Being cost effective, durable and practical for business, PVC allows designers and specifiers a high degree of freedom in design.
He adds that evidence from international studies and the recent changes to the PVC Credit in Green Star confirm PVC's environmental credentials.
Reducing the environmental impact of products is an ongoing process. In their literature review and best practice guidelines for the lifecycle of PVC building products, the GBCA detailed a number of recommendations to the Australian PVC industry, as well as public and private providers of waste management services. These recommendations and the revised Green Star PVC Credit will help drive improvement in the PVC industry.
For example, the Vinyl Council of Australia recently held the ReSource Summit on PVC recycling that brought together a variety of representatives from across the plastics, government, and waste sectors to work together on a long-term strategy to advance PVC recycling in Australia.
Under the revised PVC Credit, building and construction projects will be able to claim two points in the materials category towards their Green Star rating if the project’s PVC flooring and resilient wall coverings, cable, pipe and conduit meet the Green Building Council’s Best Practice Guidelines for PVC in the Built Environment.
