Why specify Best Practice PVC-accredited products

With around 85 per cent of PVC consumed in building and infrastructure products, the Vinyl Council of Australia’s Best Practice PVC Product Register can help specifiers choose sustainable products manufactured to the most stringent environmental criteria.

The Vinyl Council’s Best Environmental Practice (BEP) PVC trademark is awarded to BEP-compliant PVC products that meet stringent criteria, developed by the Green Building Council of Australia.

For a wide range of construction products, PVC offers a cost-effective, durable and low-maintenance solution to delivering a service, from water pipes, cabling and ducting to energy-efficient windows, stay-in-place formwork and resilient floor and wall coverings.

Manufacturers of products holding BEP PVC accreditation have undertaken the vigorous, third-party assessment process required to verify their minimal environmental impact. The Vinyl Council then checks the certificates and records the products, suppliers and certificate validity on the online Best Practice PVC Register.

Currently the register covers flooring, resilient wall coverings, pipes & fittings, conduit, cable, permanent formwork, PVC resin, ductwork and fencing.

Best Practice PVC is recognised in Green Star’s Responsible Building Materials credit. This requires product suppliers of the common PVC applications to provide a third-party verification certificate that their products meet the Best Practice PVC manufacturing guidelines.

Products are assessed according to robust criteria applied at every manufacturing stage, from resin product to emissions controls and responsible waste treatment processes, as well as additives and end-of-use.

The Council’s Chief Executive, Sophi MacMillan comments: “The PVC Credit in Green Star recognises the progress the vinyl industry has achieved to improve sustainability in the life cycle of PVC products, giving more choice in design.”

Sophi adds: “For specifiers and anyone procuring PVC products, the Best Practice PVC Register is an important aid, making it simple to identify those products made to the highest sustainable standards.”

For more details, visit https://www.vinyl.org.au/in-greenstar/best-practice-pvc-product-register