Vinyl Council of Australia & GECA – Vinyl Cycle label

Organisation: Vinyl Council of Australia & GECA – Vinyl Cycle label

Area of activity: A standard and claims authentication process for verifying the recycled PVC, or vinyl, content of products. GECA provides third party verification of recycled vinyl content claims by manufacturers against the recycled vinyl standard for products. The standard provides a framework for manufacturers to track consistent recyclate use in manufacturing and the dual Vinyl Cycle-GECA labelling offers credibility for purchasers of recycled plastic products and recognition for manufacturers making recycled content claims. The labelling will state the claimed recycled vinyl content percentage; the minimum claim authenticated is 10% recycled vinyl.

Product/Materials: PVC/vinyl products and resins

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Vinyl Council of Australia – Best Practice PVC

Organisation: Vinyl Council of Australia – Best Practice PVC

Area of activity: A standard for best environmental practice for manufacturing PVC, or vinyl, products, originally developed by the Green Building Council of Australia and the Australian vinyl industry. Accreditation of products requires third party verification by accredited auditing or conformity assessment bodies of full compliance with the Best Practice PVC Guidelines, incorporating stringent criteria for raw materials, manufacturing, additives use and product end of life.

Product/Materials: PVC/vinyl products and resins

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Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Australia

Organisation: Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Australia

Area of activity: Not-for-profit organisation that sets standards. FSC certification tracks the wood from the forest to the shelf.

Product/Materials: Wood/Timber

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Resources

A guide to Labels, Certifications and Standards

Jump to – Labels and Certifications

Jump to – Standards – Processes and Organisations

Jump to – Research and knowledge in materials and product stewardship

Labels and Certifications

Good Environmental Choice Australia

Area of activity
The GECA ecolabel is an independent ‘tick’ that shows a product is better for the environment, has a lower impact on human health and has been ethically made.

Product/Materials
All types

Global GreenTag

Area of activity
Global GreenTag is an Australian and USA Regulator (ACCC or the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and US Patents and Trademarks Office respectively) approved Certification Mark and ISO 14024 Type 1 (Third Party) Ecolabel that provides the required evidence for products seeking engagement in green building rating tools and for manufacturers wanting to differentiate their products.

Product/Materials
All types

Carpet Institute of Australia – Environmental Certification Scheme

Area of activity
Provides a guide to the environmental performance of carpet. As a precondition of obtaining environmental certification, carpet manufacturers must comply with the Code of Practice for Environmental Management.

Product/Materials
Carpets

Ethical Clothing Australia

Area of activity
Ethical Clothing Australia (ECA®) is an accreditation body working collaboratively with local textile, clothing and footwear (TCF) businesses to ensure their Australian supply chains are legally compliant.

Product/Materials
Clothing

Australasian Furnishing Research and Development Institute

Area of activity
AFRDI Green Tick Certification

Product/Materials
Furnishings

Institute for Market transformation to Sustainability

Area of activity
Sustainable Materials Rating Technology (SMaRT) certification

Product/Materials
All types

Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute

Area of activity
Cradle to Cradle Certified

Product/Materials
All types

Energy Star Label

Greenhouse Energy Minimum Standards (GEMS) Regulator in conjunction with the Energy Efficiency advisery Team (EEAT).

Area of activity
The Energy Rating Label, regulated by government, has been around for over 30 years, so consumers can compare the energy efficiency and running costs of appliances before they buy.

Product/Materials
All types

Water Rating Label

WELS Regulator is established under the WELS Act. It is filled by the First Assistant Secretary of the Water Division in the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment.

Area of activity
The Energy Rating Label, regulated by government, has been around for over 30 years, so consumers can compare the energy efficiency and running costs of appliances before they buy.

Product/Materials
All types

EPEAT ecolabel

Global Electronics Council

Area of activity
The Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool is a method for purchasers to evaluate the effect of a product on the environment. It assesses various lifecycle environmental aspects of a device and ranks products as Gold, Silver or Bronze based on a set of environmental performance criteria.

Product/Materials
Electronics

APCO, Planet Ark, PREP Design

Area of activity
Australasian Recycling Label

Product/Materials
Packaging

Fair Trade Association of Australia and New Zealand

Area of activity
Fair Trader of Australia Certificate of Endorsement

Product/Materials
All types

OEKO-TEX® & TESTEX Swiss Textile-Testing Ltd

Area of activity
Oeko-Tex Standard 100

Product/Materials
Textiles

Responsible Wood

Area of activity
Responsible Wood Certification Scheme

Product/Materials
Wood/Timber

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Australia

Area of activity
Not-for-profit organisation that sets standards. FSC certification tracks the wood from the forest to the shelf.

Product/Materials
Wood/Timber

Standards – Processes and Organisations

International Organisation for Standardisation

Area of activity
ISO 14044:2006 Environmental management – Life cycle assessment.

Product/Materials
All types

Standards Australia

Area of activity
AS/NZS 5377:2013 Collection, storage, transport and treatment of end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment.

Product/Materials
Electrical and Electronic Equipment

Standards Australia

Area of activity
AS/NZS ISO 14001:2016 – Environmental management systems.

Product/Materials
Electrical and Electronic Equipment

Standards Australia

Area of activity
ISO 45001:2018 specifies requirements for an occupational health and safety (OH&S) management system.

Product/Materials
All types

AccountAbility (a global consulting and standards firm)

Area of activity
AA1000 AccountAbility Stakeholder Engagement Standard (2015) – establishes a benchmark for conducting high-quality stakeholder engagement projects and programs.

Product/Materials
All types

Standards Australia

Area of activity
AS/NZS ISO 9001:2016 Quality management systems

Product/Materials
All types

Australasian Bioplastics Association

Area of activity
For companies or individuals wishing to have their claims of compliance with Australian Standard 4736-2006, compostable and biodegradable plastics – “Biodegradable plastics suitable for composting and other microbial treatment” and Australian Standard AS 5810-2010 Home Composting – “Biodegradable plastics suitable for home composting” verified.

Product/Materials
Biplastics

International Organisation for Standardisation

Area of activity
ISO 14025:2006 Environmental labels and declarations – Type III environmental declarations

Product/Materials
All types

B Lab

Area of activity
Certified B Corporations. Certified B Corporations are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.

Product/Materials
All types

Green Building Council of Australia

Area of activity
Green Star Tools and Certification

Product/Materials
Buildings/building materials

Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia

Area of activity
Infrastructure Sustainability Ratings

Product/Materials
Infrastructure

TerraCycle

Area of activity
Various programs including labelling

Product/Materials
All types

Carbon Reduction Institute

Area of activity
NoCO2 Certification Program

Product/Materials
All types

Climate Active

Area of activity
Climate Active certification is awarded to businesses and organisations that have reached carbon neutrality.

Product/Materials
All types

Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) Australasia

Area of activity
EPD Australasia registers and publishes Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and Climate Declarations.

Product/Materials
All types

ANZPAC Plastics Pact

Area of activity

A platform for governments and organisations working on the transition towards a circular economy for plastic packaging.

Product/Materials
Plastic packaging

Responsible Steel

Area of activity

Not-for-profit organisation, Responsible Steel is the steel industry’s first global multi-stakeholder standard and certification initiative with a mission is to maximise steel’s contribution to a sustainable society.

Product/Materials
Steel

Aluminium Stewardship Initiative

Area of activity

A global non-profit standards setting and certification organisation. Brings together producers, users and stakeholders in the aluminium value chain with a commitment to maximise the contribution of aluminium to a sustainable society.

Product/Materials
Aluminium

Plastics Stewardship Australia – Chemistry Australia

Area of activity

Plastics Stewardship Australia is an initiative of Chemistry Australia, which represents plastics raw material producers, importers, distributors, processors and manufacturers, compounders, recyclers and research organisations.

Product/Materials
Plastics

Australian Government – Department of Home Affairs

Area of activity
Modern Slavery Act 2018 – Modern Slavery Reporting Requirement

Product/Materials
All types

Research & Knowledge

in materials and product stewardship

Universities, Research & Development Organisations

Product stewardship, policy, whole-of-system approaches

University of Technology Sydney – Institute for Sustainable Futures
Product stewardship policy, options analysis, circular supply chains, product stewardship approaches to batteries, renewable energy, plastics and packaging.
Monash University – School of Social Sciences
Sustainable business models, corporate sustainability and the role of charitable and community organisations in facilitating reuse.
Curtin University – Sustainability Policy Institute
Sustainability policy and practice.
University of Wollongong – Sustainable Buildings Research Centre
Product stewardship for the built environment, including sustainable building materials and value chains.
Griffith University – Systems Modelling Group
Systems dynamics modelling.

Material Design, Reuse and Recycling

Swinburne University of Technology – Department of Mechanical Engineering and Product Design Engineering
E-waste processing technologies, battery recycling technology.
RMIT – Civil and Infrastructure Engineering
Sustainable and circular construction practices and materials.
University of Technology Sydney – School of Design
Material ecologies.
UNSW – Centre for Sustainable Materials Research & Technology
Green materials, products and resources made from waste products
UNSW – Sustainability in Manufacturing and Life Cycle Engineering
Life cycle assessment, eco-design.
Deakin University – Institute for Frontier Materials
Applied industry research creating novel ways to maximise value from waste while re-designing materials with extraordinary functionality; strong circular economy focus related to advanced alloys, carbon fibres / composites, energy storage materials / batteries, textiles, infrastructure materials.
CSIRO – CSIRO
Battery and plastics recycling, circular economy.

Circular Economy

Australian Circular Economy Hub
The ACE Hub’s key role is to establish the network that will support collaboration and knowledge-sharing so that all those active in circularity in Australia can optimise their collective impact.
Aspire
ASPIRE is an online matchmaking tool using innovative software, for material resource exchange that would otherwise be discarded, by bringing different parties together to exchange value.
NSW Circular
Circular economy, policy, finance and investment.

The Product Stewardship Centre of Excellence is an independent, not for profit charity, that seeks to reduce waste generation and create positive environmental and social outcomes through sustainable design, resource conservation, reuse, repair, and recycling. The Centre helps businesses, industries, and product stewardship organisations to adopt a strong lifecycle approach to deliver their ESG and circular economy objectives. We also provide independent advice on product stewardship priorities to the Australian government.

Product Stewardship Centre of Excellence | c/- Institute for Sustainable Futures | University of Technology | PO Box 123 | Broadway NSW 2007