Merry Christmas from the President at Good Environmental Choice Australia

The growth of environmental awareness and commitment to the environment has seen unprecedented growth in 2006. This is now starting to translate into positive financial commitment by companies and policy commitment by governments.

It is however, clear that the environmental game is still only in its early stages. There is a substantial lack of expertise in Australia to effectively tackle the issues and more importantly solve the problem. The greenwash, smoke and mirrors I believe is going to be sorted out in 2007. The substance of environmental policy will be questioned and outcomes demanded both internally and externally in government. For companies the integrity of environmental claims will be questioned and the substance of the environmental performance of their products and operations demanded. 2007 will, I believe sort out the men from the boys in this area and clarify the leading lights showing the pathway towards a more sustainable society.

Good Environmental Choice Australia last month celebrated it's fifth anniversary of operation. During this time we have been able to change the face of credible environmental product declarations in Australia. We have certified over $1B worth of product annual turnover and have established over 30 minimum environmental performance standards for distinct product groups. Along the way we have changed the environmental performance of companies, shaped the green procurement policies and opportunities for government, banks and major corporate procurers and allowed the environmental convictions of Australians to be expressed via their purchasing dollar. We have also achieved a 300% growth in the organisations commercial activities in 2006.

It is now clear that ecolabelling is a major and important instrument for environmental change in Australia and I am ready to declare that the program has achieved substantial environmental impact reductions. These reductions are achieved by:

• The setting of environmental performance standards as a guide to industries encouraging them to aim for world class environmental performance and showing them the most important environmental impacts of their products.
• Allowing an effective shift in market preference and hence commercial flows on the basis of environmental performance.
• Working with our certified manufacturers to redesign their products and supply chains.

I expect 2007 will be a decisive year for organisations and companies in the field of environmental change and I ask you to consider joining us by becoming a member of our organisation.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Petar Johnson
management@geca.org.au

Increased Service Capacity with the appointment of NCS International

A Memorandum of Understanding between the verification arm of GECA (Good Environmental Choice Services Pty Ltd - GECS) and NCS International Pty Ltd (NCSI) was signed on the 21st of November 2006 at the Hyatt in Canberra at the Greening of Government Procurement Luncheon.

The MOU authorises NCS International to undertake to service companies selling environmentally preferable products in Australia with the internationally recognised Good Environmental Choice Label.

More details: http://www.geca.org.au/NCSI_MOU.htm.

Greening of Government Luncheon

Green Procurement in Government is being encouraged by Executive Government for all Commonwealth Government agencies. This policy direction is a major commitment to ensuring that all government purchasing translates into effective market incentives and support for the supply of products and services with a lower environmental impact to governments.

GECA with Australian Paper and Fuji Xerox Printing hosted a luncheon seminar at the Hyatt in Canberra. The PowerPoint presentations and video footage is available for download from our website.

Become a GECA Member:

GECA as a non-profit public company operates under the guidance and involvement of it's membership. We have opened the company for new membership applications. New recent members include the Brisbane City Council, Woods Bagot Adelaide, the National Association of Testing Authorities, Ecobodes and others. You can make an application for membership here.

GEN Conference in Seoul

Mr Tim Edwards (Director - GECA) participated in the last GEN annual conference in Seoul, Korea. The annual conference is an important element of our international collaboration. The highlights of the conference were an advanced discussions on an international collaborative environmental labelling system (GENESIS) facilitating cross border recognition of certified products.

The ongoing international collaboration has allowed Laminex to receive the Korean Ecolabel granting their products access to the Government and construction green procurement markets in that country. Current work is underway to assess products for the Chinese ecolabel for Australian companies.

External News

Formaldehyde Report Released - NICNAS

The National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS) has released its final findings in relation to Formaldehyde Emissions standards. The report declares that Formaldehyde exposure levels are significantly reduced in products and occupational environments. You can download the Priority Existing Chemical Assessment Report No 28 at the below link.

Forthcoming Events and Promotions

More than 400 property industry professionals from around the country are expected to attend the Green Cities 07 Conference & Expo in Sydney on 11- 14 February 2007 to hear about a wide range of topics including green building marketing strategies, the costs and benefits of building green, the world's first green city, green building incentives, upgrading existing buildings and the growing tenant demand for green.The Green Cities '07 Conference and Expo is being hosted by the Green Building Council of Australia and the Property Council of Australia who, together, represent the largest and most diverse building interests in the country.