Green Star PVC Credit for PVC Resin from Think Pipes Think PVC

One year on from 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.

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. Vinyl Council of Australia CEO, Sophi MacMillan, said 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. For other vinyl products, the minimisation credit is eliminated.

"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. "With the revised Green Star Credit, certified best practice PVC products have the opportunity to earn points towards a building project's Green Star accreditation," Ms MacMillan said. "This means manufacturers are recognised and encouraged."

Australian Vinyls, the only local manufacturer of PVC resin, has made Green Star compliant PVC resin available to the construction and building industry from their local manufacturing plant in Laverton North, Victoria.

Launching a PVC Pipe awareness campaign titled Think Pipes. Think PVC earlier this year, Australian Vinyls is actively working to encourage more education about recent developments with PVC pipes and promote the usage of best environmental practice PVC pipes across a range of markets.

"In the past, PVC has come under criticism, however over the years it has been proven by many international authorities, the GBCA included, that using PVC is a viable option for construction. It is cost effective, durable and practical for business and allows designers and specifiers a high degree of freedom in design," said Nigel Jones, Market Development Manager, Think Pipes. Think PVC. "The weight of evidence from international studies and the recent changes to the PVC Credit in Green Star confirms that PVC's environmental credentials are sound when compared to alternative materials."

Reducing the environmental impact of products is an ongoing process. In their literature review and best practice guidelines for the life cycle 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 a summit on PVC recycling.

The ReSource Summit as it was known 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. "Whilst PVC is estimated to account for less than 1% of all landfill waste each year in Australia, the industry recognises that there is a significant opportunity to increase the amount of PVC products recycled as they reach their end of life" Ms MacMillan said. Under the 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 - which together account for the majority of PVC use in buildings - meet the Green Building Council's Best Practice Guidelines for PVC in the Built Environment.