ISSUES WITH GOOD ENVIRONMENTAL CHOICE (GECA) FURNITURE CERTIFICATION
Announcement posted by INSTYLE CONTRACT TEXTILES 03 Nov 2010
What Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA) and Environmental Assurance (EA) are Doing
WHAT GECA AND ENVIRONMENTAL ASSURANCE ARE DOING?
Instyle has become aware of the following conduct on the part of Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA) and its exclusive auditor, Environmental Assurance (EA):
• EA has advised some applicants that White Furniture certification (e.g. certification excluding the textile) is not available to manufacturers and suppliers.
• Where, after receiving the above advice, an applicant has still insisted on White Furniture certification, EA has then delayed giving the certification even though all the requirements for White Furniture certification have been satisfied;
- in one case, the applicant accepted ‘finished furniture’ certification (e.g. certification including the textile) after waiting 5 months for White Furniture certification;
- in another case, the applicant was given White Furniture certification, but had to wait for 6 months.
• GECA has been informed about EA’s conduct but has taken no corrective action.
This position of GECA and EA is contrary to the clear wording of the GECA Furniture Standard which specifies, ‘White Furniture’ as one of the categories of product which can be certified under the Standard. It is also contrary to the International Standard for third party ecolabelling schemes, ISO 14024, with which GECA says that its program complies. ISO 14024 states
– “Once product environmental criteria have been established …, all products which meet the criteria shall be eligible to use the label”. (Clause 5.13, ISO 14024)
WHAT IS THE CONSEQUENCE OF GECA’S AND EA’S CONDUCT
Most if not all suppliers of GECA certified ‘finished furniture’ have had a condition included in their certification that they will only use GECA certified textiles.
There is no section in the GECA Furniture Standard which requires an applicant to use only GECA certified textiles and the GECA Textile Standard is not recognised by the Green Building Council.
Furthermore, a GECA certified textile is not a guarantee of environmental preference. This is because the GECA Textile Standard is not lifecycle based and allows for the certification of non-environmental textiles such as 100% virgin polyester, nylon, acrylic and PVC vinyl.
A substantial beneficiary of the condition is GECA and EA who collect ongoing licence fees both from you - the furniture manufacturer and from the supplier of the GECA certified textiles.
The condition –
• severely limits the customer’s choice of textile; and
• prevents the customer from selecting a textile that is more environmentally preferable; and
• will make GECA certified companies less competitive than those specified by Ecospecifer or AFRDI (see below).
WHAT SUPPLIERS WHO WANT CERTIFICATION CAN DO
1. Apply to Ecospecifier or ARFDI - You can now apply to have your products certified as White Furniture under the furniture standards of Ecospecifier or AFRDI both of whose certification schemes are now recognised by the Green Building Council of Australia in its Green Star rating system. Buyers of products certified by Ecospecifier or AFRDI can accrue the maximum points available towards a Green Star rating (appropriate to the furniture certification level).
2. Insist on White Furniture certification - If however you choose to apply for GECA certification, then you should insist on White Furniture certification. White furniture is 1 of the 8 final ready to use categories of products which can be certified as complying with the GECA Furniture Standard. White furniture certification will allow your customers to choose any fabric they wish to and, provided that the textile contributes less than 10% to the weight of the upholstered product, your customers will still earn the maximum Green Star points (appropriate to the furniture certification level).
3. Ask for written reasons - If GECA or EA advise you that White Furniture certification is not available, then ask for the reasons to be given in writing. In any event you should make your own written record of what they advise. This could be useful evidence in the future.
GREEN STAR and TEXTILES
Regardless of the type of GECA certification, you should inform your customers they can still choose ANY textile they wish and earn maximum points (appropriate to the furniture certification level) towards their Green Star rating provided the textile contributes less than 10% to the weight of the upholstered product (which will invariably be the case),(see: the Green Building Council’s Material Calculator Guide, version 4, section 4.0).
WHAT IS INSTYLE DOING?
Instyle is seeking to expand its case against GECA, EA and Petar Johnson to allege that statements about the GECA program’s compliance with ISO 14024, GECA’s trade marks being certification trade marks and furniture manufacturers and suppliers not being able to obtain White Furniture certification, are misleading.
For more information contact:
Michael Fitzsimons, Managing Director, Instyle Contract Textiles
P: + 61 2 9317 0250 E: mfitzsimons@instyle.com.au W: www.instyle.com.au
22 OCTOBER, 2010
Background:
INSTYLE is committed to the environment and to delivering real environmental change.
Instyle has won several high profile sustainability awards, including the following:
2010 WINNER Sustainability Green Globe Awards – Small Business Sustainability Award
2010 WINNER United Nations’ World Environment Day Award–Business Environmental Best Practice Program
2009 WINNER Sustainability Green Globe Awards - Business Sustainability Award
2009 FINALIST United Nations’ World Environment Day Award – Best Specific Environmental Initiative
2008 WINNER United Nations’ World Environment Day Award - Business Sustainability Award
2008 WINNER Sustainability Green Globe Awards – Premier’s Sustainability Excellence Award
2008 WINNER Sustainability Green Globe Awards - Industry Environmental Sustainability
2008 WINNER Sustainability Green Globe Awards - Small Business Environmental Sustainability
2007 FINALIST Banksia Environmental Award - Sustainability
2006 FINALIST Banksia Environmental Award - Sustainability
Instyle has become aware of the following conduct on the part of Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA) and its exclusive auditor, Environmental Assurance (EA):
• EA has advised some applicants that White Furniture certification (e.g. certification excluding the textile) is not available to manufacturers and suppliers.
• Where, after receiving the above advice, an applicant has still insisted on White Furniture certification, EA has then delayed giving the certification even though all the requirements for White Furniture certification have been satisfied;
- in one case, the applicant accepted ‘finished furniture’ certification (e.g. certification including the textile) after waiting 5 months for White Furniture certification;
- in another case, the applicant was given White Furniture certification, but had to wait for 6 months.
• GECA has been informed about EA’s conduct but has taken no corrective action.
This position of GECA and EA is contrary to the clear wording of the GECA Furniture Standard which specifies, ‘White Furniture’ as one of the categories of product which can be certified under the Standard. It is also contrary to the International Standard for third party ecolabelling schemes, ISO 14024, with which GECA says that its program complies. ISO 14024 states
– “Once product environmental criteria have been established …, all products which meet the criteria shall be eligible to use the label”. (Clause 5.13, ISO 14024)
WHAT IS THE CONSEQUENCE OF GECA’S AND EA’S CONDUCT
Most if not all suppliers of GECA certified ‘finished furniture’ have had a condition included in their certification that they will only use GECA certified textiles.
There is no section in the GECA Furniture Standard which requires an applicant to use only GECA certified textiles and the GECA Textile Standard is not recognised by the Green Building Council.
Furthermore, a GECA certified textile is not a guarantee of environmental preference. This is because the GECA Textile Standard is not lifecycle based and allows for the certification of non-environmental textiles such as 100% virgin polyester, nylon, acrylic and PVC vinyl.
A substantial beneficiary of the condition is GECA and EA who collect ongoing licence fees both from you - the furniture manufacturer and from the supplier of the GECA certified textiles.
The condition –
• severely limits the customer’s choice of textile; and
• prevents the customer from selecting a textile that is more environmentally preferable; and
• will make GECA certified companies less competitive than those specified by Ecospecifer or AFRDI (see below).
WHAT SUPPLIERS WHO WANT CERTIFICATION CAN DO
1. Apply to Ecospecifier or ARFDI - You can now apply to have your products certified as White Furniture under the furniture standards of Ecospecifier or AFRDI both of whose certification schemes are now recognised by the Green Building Council of Australia in its Green Star rating system. Buyers of products certified by Ecospecifier or AFRDI can accrue the maximum points available towards a Green Star rating (appropriate to the furniture certification level).
2. Insist on White Furniture certification - If however you choose to apply for GECA certification, then you should insist on White Furniture certification. White furniture is 1 of the 8 final ready to use categories of products which can be certified as complying with the GECA Furniture Standard. White furniture certification will allow your customers to choose any fabric they wish to and, provided that the textile contributes less than 10% to the weight of the upholstered product, your customers will still earn the maximum Green Star points (appropriate to the furniture certification level).
3. Ask for written reasons - If GECA or EA advise you that White Furniture certification is not available, then ask for the reasons to be given in writing. In any event you should make your own written record of what they advise. This could be useful evidence in the future.
GREEN STAR and TEXTILES
Regardless of the type of GECA certification, you should inform your customers they can still choose ANY textile they wish and earn maximum points (appropriate to the furniture certification level) towards their Green Star rating provided the textile contributes less than 10% to the weight of the upholstered product (which will invariably be the case),(see: the Green Building Council’s Material Calculator Guide, version 4, section 4.0).
WHAT IS INSTYLE DOING?
Instyle is seeking to expand its case against GECA, EA and Petar Johnson to allege that statements about the GECA program’s compliance with ISO 14024, GECA’s trade marks being certification trade marks and furniture manufacturers and suppliers not being able to obtain White Furniture certification, are misleading.
For more information contact:
Michael Fitzsimons, Managing Director, Instyle Contract Textiles
P: + 61 2 9317 0250 E: mfitzsimons@instyle.com.au W: www.instyle.com.au
22 OCTOBER, 2010
Background:
INSTYLE is committed to the environment and to delivering real environmental change.
Instyle has won several high profile sustainability awards, including the following:
2010 WINNER Sustainability Green Globe Awards – Small Business Sustainability Award
2010 WINNER United Nations’ World Environment Day Award–Business Environmental Best Practice Program
2009 WINNER Sustainability Green Globe Awards - Business Sustainability Award
2009 FINALIST United Nations’ World Environment Day Award – Best Specific Environmental Initiative
2008 WINNER United Nations’ World Environment Day Award - Business Sustainability Award
2008 WINNER Sustainability Green Globe Awards – Premier’s Sustainability Excellence Award
2008 WINNER Sustainability Green Globe Awards - Industry Environmental Sustainability
2008 WINNER Sustainability Green Globe Awards - Small Business Environmental Sustainability
2007 FINALIST Banksia Environmental Award - Sustainability
2006 FINALIST Banksia Environmental Award - Sustainability