Robust Ecolabels Feature in New Australian Sustainable Procurement Policy
The Australian government has launched their Environmentally Sustainable Procurement Policy (ESP Policy) for furniture, fittings & equipment, ICT products and textiles. To ensure the procurement of products that meet core sustainability priorities, the cites robust ecolabels including, GECA and TCO Certified and requires industry to report how they are meeting those requirements.
The policy aims to reduce the environmental impact of government purchasing through buying products that help minimise greenhouse gas emissions, are safer for the environment and retain their value for longer.
In practice, this means identifying and sourcing products that support the following objectives:
Circularity - product durability, reuse, resource recovery
Environment - water, renewable energy, chemicals management and waste reduction
Climate - GHG emissions, energy efficiency, use of low embodied emissions materials
GECA is cited in the furniture, fittings & equipment and textiles categories and TCO Certified in ICT goods.
“It’s great to see another national-level policy using robust product certifications like TCO Certified and GECA”, comments Clare Hobby from TCO Certified. “Doing so helps provide clarity for product suppliers, and reassurance that certified products live up to their sustainability claims.”
By selecting lifecycle ecolabels (Type 1) accredited to meet ISO 14024 principles for global best practices, the Australian Government clarifies the criteria that supplied products must meet. The Government also joins other institutional purchasers in using ecolabels to send a coordinated market signal to the IT, furniture, fittings & equipment, and textiles industries.
Josh Begbie from GECA adds,"Great certification programs are built to simplify procurement for both suppliers and purchasers while ensuring robust and holistic sustainability outcomes. It’s terrific to see the Commonwealth government advocating use of these tools to support their procurement and reporting processes, which also streamlines sustainability processes for Australian businesses selling to them."
Due to the robust and holistic criteria built into lifecycle ecolabels, the manufacture and purchase of certified products allows product design, manufacturing and lifecycle management to target sustainability in a more coordinated way. They deliver rigorous third-party assurance encompassing environmental, human health and social impacts across the entire lifecycle of a product while proving that they perform as promised.
The new criteria will apply to purchases at or above AUD 1 million.
Click here for more on the policy and supplier reporting requirements.