Get environmental certification, get specified.
Choosing and applying for environmental certification can be confusing and time consuming. But it doesn’t have to be. Allow us to guide you through the certification minefield.
We’ve been helping clients with Ecolabelling product certifications since 2008. At this time, the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) only recognised one, product certification scheme. Now there are FIVE.
Having a choice is a good thing, but can make it tougher to make a decision. There are some real challenges when it comes to certification. We know, we been through this often with clients. But we are experienced and can make it easy for you. And we can also help you achieve the highest level of certification possible for your organisation.
Maximise your chances of success, minimise the stress
We’ve been securing the highest levels of certification for Australian SME's and large businesses since 2008, so we have a comprehensive understanding of certification schemes.
This means we can:
help you choose the right certification for your business or product
conduct due diligence, so you can feel confident you will secure the best certification
assist you with implementing the changes to help ensure compliance
help you avoid hidden costs and streamline the certification application process
manage the entire process for you, or give your team the support to achieve certification
We’ve worked with product manufacturers, joiners, table and workstation manufacturers, seating suppliers, and with furniture retailers. We can guide you and your team or manage the complete project. Your decision.
BENEFITS OF ECOLABEL CERTIFICATION
Ecolabel certification assists with meeting Green Star compliance
Client and government tenders require it
Building and construction companies request it
It gives the end user assurance that the product is sustainable
It helps avoids greenwash – verification of certification requirements
THE RIGHT certification scheme for you
With a host of certification schemes out there, choosing the right one can be tough. We’ll need to discuss the options. But rest assured, we’re familiar with all the key schemes, including:
We can help you chose the right certification for your business.
There are so many variables when it comes to choosing a product certification scheme, so we start by understanding your business ,what initiatives are already in place, what your objectives are and which products you are wanting to get certified.
Sustainable Business Matters has clients that sell their products into overseas markets, so we keep this in mind when selecting a scheme. Or it could be that the product already has an International Ecolabel which can assist in meeting Australian Ecolabelling requirements.
““Right from the start, I knew we were in good hands, Libby was incredibly helpful and took over our Global GreenTag (GGT) re-certification process, which freed me up to focus on the business. I was always kept in the loop with Libby’s communication with GGT and in no time we had received the certification. I am very thankful for Libby’s professional service to us and I would not hesitate to recommend Sustainable Business Matters to any other company”.”
THE right LEVEL OF CERTIFICATION
New GBCA Green Star Rating Tools (Design & As Built, INTERIORS and Performance) rewards products that are recognised by a GBCA Product certification scheme (GECA, AFRDI and Global GreenTag).
The new Sustainability Products calculator is based on the ‘Project Contract Value’ which simply means it's based on the cost of the project. So, if your product is a ‘big ticked item’ such as a workstation or chair, then Level A would be advisable. If you are supplying bespoke, one-off products, then it's not going to matter so much, as the cost will be quite negligible to the overall project contract value.
We can help your organisation meet Level A Ecolabelling certification requirements.
We are the right choice
We have the experience; because we have worked with:
a range of clients over 10 years
manufacturers, retail and assembly (building products, tables, chairs, workstations, loose furniture, joinery, and timber board)
We have the know-how, because we've worked with the:
Global GreenTag – GreenRate Standard
AFRDI Green Tick Standard
GECA Furniture, Fittings and Foam standard (Level A & B)
Singaporean Green Label
We have a proven track record:
75% of the products that we help through certification are certified to Level A
20% of the products that we help through certification are certified to Level B
5% of the products to Level C (at client's request)
We know the Ecolabelling Standard requirements because:
we are constantly working with these ecolabelling schemes
we provide industry feedback to the GBCA recognised certification schemes
We can also:
help you work out the hidden costs when it comes to certification
get it done and work to your time-frame
offer you flexibility, either working alongside your team or project manage the whole certification
work to your budget.
“Libby was the driving force that ensured PAGO DESIGNS achieved LEVEL A (GBCA recognized) certification.
Libby is knowledgeable, helpful and forceful enough to ensure implementation takes place within agreed time lines. I have no hesitation in recommending Libby.
”
How long will certification take?
Again, it depends on your situation and the certification scheme that’s right for your products. However, as a rule of thumb, we usually expect the product certification process to take 2-6 months.
Contact us for a clear plan of action to achieve the highest level of certification, as quickly and painlessly as possible.
the process of product certification
1. Meet with the client to understand what products are to be certified
2. Who are your clients and what type of certification are they requesting
3. What level of certification do you wish to achieve
4. Start the due diligence process by reviewing:
the company's background by looking at existing environmental and social initiatives
product information, to include the materials, product durability, chemicals, coatings, etc
the product component suppliers
5. Do you have a preference for a particular ecolabelling certification body
6. List the benefits of each certification body and the potential issues
7. Understand how you would like to work with us. i.e. do you have someone internally who can be our ‘partner’ and do all the background work, as we guide them, or do you have limited resources and wish for us to manage the whole project.
8.Once we have approval, we start the process towards certification.
We already understand where the potential ‘blocks’ will be in the certification process, so we start there. We then action the items we know from previous experience are going to take the most time. We start collecting information from a number of different sources, such as procurement, production manager and suppliers. We understand obtaining information from suppliers can be tricky. We're respectful but persistent in obtaining the desired information.