INSTYLE URGES GOVERNMENT TO CEASE PREFERENCING GECA CERTIFIED PRODUCTS

Instyle Contract Textiles, winner of United Nations Australia Sustainability awards and NSW Government Green Globe Environmental awards, has urged Governments at all levels to immediately review their procurement and purchasing policies.

Many Government procurement policies exclude the use of sustainable products because they preference the purchase of products certified by Good Environment Choice Australia (GECA).

Instyle questions the basis on which Governments preference GECA certified products, particularly given that

GECA’s ecolabel mark is not registered as a ‘certification’ trade mark. GECA’s program has not been approved by the ACCC which is a precondition to registration of a certification trade mark, and in addition, GECA cannot be held accountable under the provisions of the Trade Marks Act;

GECA self declares that its program conforms with ISO standards on how ecolabelling programs should be operated – however, its compliance with these standards has not been independently certified;

GECA’s only appointed certifier is not JAS-ANZ accredited;

GECA’s program is not otherwise accountable to nor regulated by Government or by any other industry body (including the Green Building Council); and

A multisustainability-award winning company such as INSTYLE has elected not to have its textiles certified against GECA’s textile standard because it is not ‘whole of lifecycle based’ and allows nonenvironmentally preferable textiles such as PVC and 100% virgin polyester to be certified as being environmentally preferable.

INSTYLE urges Governments to amend their procurement policies to remove automatic preferencing of GECA certified products until GECA improves the rigour of its standards and becomes more accountable.

Importantly, for building and interior projects, where Green Star credit points are sought, Governments are now able to purchase interior products certified under alternative ecolabel programs, see http://www.gbca.org.au/green-star/materials-category/product-certification-schemes/2933.htm.

Finally, Governments should also amend their procurement policies to also preference products which are otherwise able to demonstrate their environmental credentials.

The GECA Trademark is a “standard” trademark, and not a “certification” trademark:

The significance of this is that the use and licensing of certification trademarks must be strictly in accordance with rules which have been pre-approved by the ACCC and registered with IP Australia for all to see. If the owner or administrator of the certification trademark or scheme fails to comply with these rules, then persons affected are given rights by the Trade Marks Act 1995 to require compliance with the rules, or alternatively to have the certification trademark cancelled.

a) Varies the way in which it interprets and applies its standards; and

b) Refuses to certify an applicant’s products which fall within the scope of a GECA standard, even if those products meet the requirements of the standard’ and

c)Imposes conditions on the granting of the right to use its standard mark on some applicants and not others

without having to give a reason for doing so and without being accountable to any third party.

GECA claims that it operates its eco-labelling program in compliance with ISO 14024, but this has not been independently certified

ISO 14024 is an international standard as to how ecolabelling programs such as GECA’s Environmental Choice Australia program should be operated.

Instyle questions why GECA hasn’t achieved independent certification of the compliance of its program with ISO 14024? What assurance do governments have that GECA is in fact meeting this standard?

Instyle believes GECA is not meeting ISO 14024 in a significant way. ISO 14024 requires environmental product standards to be “whole of life cycle” standards. However, the GECA Textile Standard with which Instyle is familiar is not a “whole of life cycle” standard as it only addresses the production stage of the life cycle and then only chemical inputs and waste to water (see diagram below). The other life cycle stages which it does not address are raw materials sourcing, energy and water usage, and end of life disposal. http://www.instyle.com.au/eco_labels_and_standards.html

GECA certification does not guarantee the product is sustainable

As the GECA textile standard is not whole of lifecycle based, the G