Educational and commercial furniture manufacturer, R. E. Batger, has recently added nine new items to their list of GECA certified products.

Our latest licensee to feature in the GECA spotlight is Fletcher Insulation, one of Australia's leading insulation companies. The company provides insulation materials for the commercial and industrial sectors, and residential applications have formed a core part of their business for many years.

GECA has released a new version of its International Ecolabelled Products (IEP) standard, which recognises products certified under many overseas schemes part of the Global Ecolabelling Network (GEN).

Our first Spotlight for May focuses on Zenith Interiors. Zenith is one of Australia's largest furniture manufacturers and aims to provide innovative workspace furniture that encourages "activity based working".

Our final Spotlight for April is focussed on UCI, an Australian owned company providing innovative workspaces for the office. UCI's products are designed to develop and improve the work environment, transforming offices into spaces that are comfortable, functional, efficient and inspiring.

This week the focus is on Malaysian paper company Nibong Tebal Paper Mill (NTPM), who manufacture tissue paper personal care products. Their main product offerings are facial tissues, toilet paper, kitchen paper towels and napkins under brand names including Premier, Royal Gold and Cutie.

This week’s featured GECA licensee is Forbo Flooring Systems, who describe themselves as “a global player in high-quality commercial and residential floor coverings”. Their floors are environmentally-preferable and design-oriented while remaining practical and functional.

Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA) is in the process of developing a new product standard with the working title ‘Environmentally Preferable Products’. As part of the development of this standard, GECA is seeking input from industry professionals including manufacturers, construction project teams, consultants, academics and environmental organisations.

Good Environmental Choice Australia was pleased to be a part of Green Cities 2014 in March this year. The annual conference and exhibition was hosted by the Green Building Council of Australia and Property Council of Australia to explore sustainability in the built environment.

This week’s GECA spotlight is on steel storage furniture manufacturer Planex. The specialist furniture producers are 100% Australian owned, and they have “one of the most advanced sheet steel manufacturing facilities” in the country. All products are fully manufactured using local raw materials in their Melbourne facility.

Nominations for the 2014 United Nations Association of Australia World Environment Day Awards are now open nationally. Each year, in support of United Nations World Environment Day (June 5), the United Nations Association of Australia recognises innovative and outstanding environmental initiatives and projects from across Australia through the World Environment Day Awards.

Baseline Commercial Furniture have recently launched their new XE Summit Workstations, adding yet another item to their growing list of GECA certified products. The freshly launched workstation, which is a newer and updated version of their Summit product, has met all the criteria of the Furniture, Fittings and Foam 2010 v2.1 standard.

Office furniture manufacturers Haworth Australia have recently added the Lively Task Chair to their growing list of GECA certified products. The environmentally-preferable chair met the criteria for certification under the Furniture, Fittings and Foam v2.1 standard.

Unifor Australia has achieved GECA certification for its Workbay system, a multifunctional set of office furnishings. The furnishings have been certified under the Furniture, Fittings and Foam v2.1 standard, offering an environmentally preferable option for office planners.

The latest edition of Your Home, Australia’s most comprehensive consumer guide and technical manual for sustainable homes, has just been released by the Department of Industry.

Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA) is asking for feedback from developers, manufacturers and infrastructure project teams on which additional standards it should develop to help projects earn points under the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia’s (ISCA) IS rating scheme.

There’s still time to get your entry in to the Home Design Magazine Australian Living Green Interior Awards for 2014. GECA is a proud supporting partner of the awards, which recognise interior design projects that have considered the social and environmental impacts of the products chosen.

GECA licensees thinking of participating in Project Next, the interactive showcase of sustainable products at the upcoming DesignBUILD expo, should act now in registering their interest.

The DesignBUILD 2014 Industry Insights seminar program is now finalised, with day two to be a dedicated Sustainability Day.

Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA) licensee ARTMATRIX has achieved certification for two additional items. The IF (ECO) Intelligent Folding Table (9IF) and I-Beam (ECO) Desking System (9IB) have passed their audits with one of GECA’s JAS-ANZ accredited conformance assessment bodies BSI; enabling them to achieve GECA certification.