EPDs and the Green Star Responsible Products Program

29th Sep 2024

We’re pleased to share an article by guest author, Katherine Featherstone, Senior Manager for Responsible Products and Materials at the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA). Katherine highlights the importance of transparency in the environmental impact of building products and explains how sustainability initiatives, including EPD Australasia and EPDs registered with us, are recognised under the Green Star Responsible Products Program.

Our built environment

The built environment is constantly growing, and we have a responsibility to create spaces that are healthy, resilient and positive places to live and work. Buildings and fit-outs account for approximately 50% of global resource use and around 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, making it vital to focus on the products we build with.

The Green Building Council of Australia developed the Responsible Products Program to reward the use of products that have a lower environmental impact, are transparent, respect human rights, and help reduce upfront embodied carbon. These products are part of the solution for a healthier, more resilient, positive and circular built environment.

Defining responsible building products

Understanding the materials and products we use in our buildings has never been more important. We need greater transparency from our products to ensure that the buildings we live and work in are made from products produced in ways that are ethical, socially accountable, low in embodied carbon, more circular and with a reduced impact on nature.

GBCA is set to release the Responsible Products Guidelines, which will support initiatives to refine standards that require more stringent requirements of manufacturers and their products. The Guidelines will outline the criteria used to assess and recognise the many sustainability initiatives, including building product certification schemes. They will provide the Responsible Product Value (RPV) GBCA give products certified by the recognised initiatives. A ‘Responsible Product’ is defined as a product or material that has an RPV issued by a GBCA recognised initiative.

Additionally, GBCA has started a Responsible Products database, available to GBCA account holders, to support project teams with their Green Star submissions. The database currently includes over 10,000 products that have been verified by the many recognised initiatives.

The role of EPDs in Green Star

GBCA recognises EPD Australasia as a Responsible Products initiative, and rewards the verified EPDs published by them, for providing credible disclosure of the environmental impacts of products used in the built environment.

Earlier this year, GBCA worked with EPD Australasia to add products with verified EPDs (supplying the Australian market) to our Responsible Products database.

By including EPDs in the Responsible Products credits in the Green Star Buildings rating tool, GBCA hopes to drive demand for products with EPDs, improving transparency and data for the following credits within the Green Star New Buildings rating tool:

• Responsible Products credits (Structure, Envelope, Systems and Finishes)
• Upfront Carbon Emissions credit; and
• Life Cycle Impacts credit.

Author credit: Katherine Featherstone, Senior Manager for Responsible Products and Materials, Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA).

Further information

To learn more about the recognised sustainability initiatives and how products can contribute to achieving a Green Star rating, visit the Responsible Products Framework on the Green Building Council of Australia website.

EPD Australasia note:

EPDs registered with us can be combined with other recognised certifications to help achieve these credits.

In the coming months, we will feature articles from a range of organisations, highlighting how they use EPDs and other certifications to promote their products to specifiers seeking Green Star ratings for their projects. If you’d like to contribute to this series and have your organisation featured, please get in touch – steve@epd-australasia.com