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Standards Register

Welcome to the register of environmental labelling standards used by the Australian Good Environmental Choice Program. The voluntary environmental labelling standards are developed and approved by the Standards Development Committee and Board of Directors of Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA) Ltd after a widespread consultation process. These standards specify the core environmental performance benchmarks against which products and services are assessed in order to receive the Good Environmental Choice Australia Mark.

SERVICE STANDARDS

(Scroll down for Product Category Standards)

 

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES

 

This standard provides an environmental performance benchmark for service provision, namely office use and the major impacts associated with administrative activities

CLEANING SERVICES (New)

 

This category includes domestic and commercial cleaning services (offices, shopping centres, public amenities) as well as window cleaning services but does not include industrial cleaning services.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES (New)

 

This category is applicable to data management services, ISPs, communications and data transfer centres.

Retail Services (New)

 

This standard is applicable to a range of retail service providers, including supermarkets, grocery stores and general retail outlets.

TRANSPORT AND DISTRIBUTION SERVICES (New)

 

This standard includes air, road, rail and sea transport provided by:

  • Delivery service providers;

  • Goods transport providers;

  • Live transport providers for both humans ad animals.

 

PRODUCT STANDARDS

 

Adhesives (Under Review)

 

Household and commercial adhesives. 

Architectural Coatings (Under Review)

 

Covered are three categories of paint products including water-based coatings,  solvent-based coatings  and surface-coating systems.

Audiovisual Equipment

 

This standard covers a wide range of AV equipment including TV sets, set-top boxes, video systems and stereos. 

BROADLOOM POLYMER & polymer RICH Carpets

 

This category includes polymer fibre carpets which include nylon and nylon blends, olefin (polypropylene), polyester (PET) and acrylic.

Building Insulation Materials

 

This Standard is applicable to bulk (resistive-type) thermal insulation materials for use in building applications. It does not include foils, lagging, sarking or specialty insulation materials. These may be covered under a future standard.

Cleaning Products

 

This category includes general purpose cleaners, sanitary cleaners and laundry detergents for both home and commercial use.

 

Download the Ingredients List spreadsheet here

COMMERCIAL MODULAR CARPETS

 

This category includes polymer and wool-fibre modular carpets which include nylon and nylon blends, olefin (polypropylene), polyester (PET), acrylic and wool.

Compostable Biopolymers

 

This standard is applicable to the following categories of biopolymer products:

  • Rubbish bags

  • Shopping bags

  • Agricultural products

  • Food packaging and containers

  • Non-food packaging and containers

  • Sanitary products

  • Stationery

  • Fishing equipment

  • Other product applications where the innovation of biopolymers substitute for plastic or metal components or products.

This standard does not apply to degradable plastic products that do not have a starch biopolymer component.

Computers

 

This Standard is relevant for desktop computers, laptops and portable computers, screens and servers.

Environmentally Innovative Products

 

Products designed or made to significantly reduce the environmental loads of their product life cycle.

Floor Coverings (under Review)

See the draft review version here.

 

This category includes floor coverings (such as parquet, wooden planks, laminate and linoleum) that:

  • Are fixed to the floor and laid on top of an underlying foundation of concrete or wood/beams; and

  • Have no structural purpose;

This standard does not include floor coverings that are applied in a liquid state, or carpet products.

Furniture and Fittings

 

This standard is applicable to the following categories of final ready-to-use home and office furniture products:

  • Office Chairs: Commercial indoor contract chairs and seats including computer chairs, stools, school chairs, footrests and variations thereof;

  • Office Desks & Tables: Commercial indoor desks and tables including computer desks, boardroom tables, office coffee tables, free-standing cabinets and shelving units, coat-racks, and variations thereof;

  • Domestic Chairs: Recreational Indoor chairs and seats including computer chairs, collapsible / foldable chairs, stools, recliners, couches, sofas, footrests and variations thereof. This excludes mattresses;

  • Domestic Desks & Tables: Indoor recreational desks and tables including kitchen tables, coffee tables, computer desks, dining tables, bedside tables, free-standing wardrobes, lamp-tables, free-standing cabinets and shelving units, and variations thereof;

  •  Bedroom Furniture: Indoor bedroom furniture including bed-frames, free-standing wardrobes, bedside-tables and variations thereof, excluding bedding and mattresses.

  •  White Furniture: Furniture pending finishing (e.g. upholstering) to allow different client requirements.

  • Fittings: Partitions, window fittings, panelling, shelving, and wall furniture.

NOTE – This standard excludes recreational outdoor furniture.

General Purpose Cleaners (Phased Out)

 

This standard is in the process of being superceded by the more general Cleaning Products Standard (above). Applications for certification against this standard are no longer accepted.

Gypsum Plasterboard (Phased out)

 

This standard is in the process of being superceded by the more general Panel Board Standard (below). Applications for certification against this standard are no longer accepted.

Hand Dishwashing Detergents

 

Household and commercial hand dishwashing detergents.

Hard Surfacing

 

The development of this standard has been with the support of ASAA. It is applicable to hard surfacing products for interior or exterior use that does not provide any structural function. Hard surfacing categories include, but limited to:

  • Natural stone

  • Agglomerated stones

  • Concrete paving units

  • Terrazzo tiles

  • Ceramic tiles

  • Clay tiles

  • Glass tiles

This Standard excludes roof tiles, exterior building cladding, hybrid and composite products and those containing materials not directly specified in the scope of this standard.

INTERNATIONAL ECO-LABELED PRODUCTS

 

This standard outlines the procedure for GECA recognition of products that have already been awarded an international eco-label.

Lubricants (Interim)

 

This standard is applicable to a range of lubricants including but not limited to chain oil, lubricating grease, 2-stroke oil, metal cutting and rolling fluid, gear and transmission oil as well as concrete release agents and other total loss lubricants.

 

This is an interim standard and any feedback is welcome. Please contact the Standard Development Division if you have any comments.

Machine Dishwashing Detergents

 

Household and commercial machine dishwashing detergents.

Nappies and Nappy Wipes

 

Disposable Children's diapers, Incontinence care products, and Sanitary towels.

Office Paper (Under review)

See the draft review version here.

 

This Standard is applicable to products supplied in cut reams used for digital printing and photocopying in an office environment up to 240 GSM, as well as stationary paper products (envelopes, exercise books, invoice books, posters etc).

OUTDOOR furniture

 

This standard is applicable to commercial and recreational furniture for outdoor use, road side furniture and a range of fittings for outdoor use.

Panel boards

 

This Standard is applicable to a broad range of panel board products for use in interior architectural applications, interior paneling as well as for use in further processed products such as furniture.

Printers and Imaging Equipment

 

This standard is applicable to the following categories of printers and imaging equipment for both home and office:

  • Photocopiers

  • Printers

  • Scanners

  • Fax machines

  • Multifunction Devices

  • Componentry and Parts

 This standard does not apply to any product that is solely powered by batteries. 

Printers and  Printed Matter (Under Review)

 

Printed matter including stationary, publications, flyers, posters and similar delivered by professional printing facilities.

Publishers and  Published Matter

 

High-quality published matter.

Publishing and Industrial Paper

  • Paper supplied for the purpose of magazines, newspapers, books, periodicals and high quality publications.

  • Wood-based and wood-free printing and graphic board, based on cellulose and/or mechanical pulp, for printing and copying.

  • Industrial Papers for painting, lacquering or other craft work.

  • Folio sheet size for conventional offset, Flexo, Gravure commercial printing.

Recycled Plastic Products

 

Products made from recycled plastics.

Recycled Rubber Products

 

Products made partially or fully from recycled rubber in the categories of:

  • Agriculture & horticultures products;

  • Building & construction material;

  • Civil engineering products;

  • Indoor & outdoor flooring and surface treatments;

  • Containers;

  • Marine & automotive products;

  • Household & office supplies;

  • Sporting goods;

  • Tyres.

Recycled Paper Products (Under Review)

 

Products made from recycled paper. It does not consider recycled or new fibre office paper or printing papers. 

Recycled And Reclaimed Timber

 

This standard is applicable to a wide range of timbers that can be classed as recycled and/or reclaimed. Recycled and reclaimed timber products may include raw timbers, cut timbers, treated timbers and timber oversize.

Refrigerators

 

This standard covers a range of small refrigerator units for both domestic and retail use as well as domestic freezers.

Refrigerants

 

This standard is applicable to all categories of refrigerant products including:

  • Domestic and Industrial Air-Conditioning Refrigerants.

  • Vehicle air conditioning refrigerants.

Sanitary Paper Products

 

This standard is applicable to various types of sanitary paper products such as toilet paper, facial tissue, paper towels and hand towels.

Shampoo and Soap Products

 

This Standard covers shampoos, solid and liquid soap products, for both humans and animals.

 

Supermarket Refrigeration Systems (NEW)

 

This Standard covers large retail refrigeration systems including supermarkets, grocery stores, restaurants and bars with an installed refrigeration capacity between 10 and 500 kW.

Textiles

 

Textile clothing, interior/indoor textiles excluding floor coverings, yarn and fabric intended for use in clothing or indoor textile products and textile bags such as shopping, laundry and school bags.

TOILETRY & Personal Care Products

 

Toiletry and personal care products such as spray deodorants, roll-ons, lip gloss and more.

Toys and Childcare Products (Draft)

 

This standard is currently under development and should be completed by Feb 2008. Comments or submissions are welcome.

 

Draft for comment

Wool Carpets

 

Wool Rich (80%), Wool Pile (100%), Wool Blend and Modular Wool Carpets.

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND PROPOSED STANDARDS

 

Expressions of interest are being collected for the following standards, which are proposed to be developed in the future.

 

Lighting Systems (Proposed Standard)

 

Further expressions of interest are sought regarding the establishment of an Australian environmental standard for lighting systems.

Mattresses and Pillows (Proposed Standard)

 

Further expressions of interest are sought regarding the establishment of an Australian environmental standard for mattresses and related products.

Project Page

Air Conditioning (Proposed Standard)

 

Further expressions of interest are sought regarding the establishment of an Australian environmental standard for Air Conditioning Systems.

Project Page

Specialist Insulation Materials

 

The proposed development of this standard is unable to be performed due to a lack of interest and information.

 

To review how these standards were developed please visit the standard development page here.

 

Please Note: The eco-labelling program seeks to cover a broad range of environmental products. If your product group does not have a voluntary environmental labelling standard available at this time we would be interested to assess the opportunity to develop a standard for your particular product group. 

 

 
GECA is the Australian verification office, and has mutual recognition arrangements with the following national ecolabelling programs:
Taiwan Thailand Korea China U.S.A. Global Ecolabelling Network
Good Environmental Choice - Australia - PO Box 4140, Weston Creek ACT 2611
Ph: 02 6287 3100 / Fax: 02 6287 3800 / E-mail - info@geca.org.au