A new PVC Credit incorporated by the Green Building Council of Australia in its Green Star building environmental rating tool in 2010 awards up to two points where a percentage (by cost) of the most common uses of PVC in buildings is independently verified as compliant with the GBCA's Best Practice Guidelines for PVC in the Built Environment.

Effective 1 March 2012, all projects registering for Green Star certification will have to obtain an auditor's certificate as evidence of a PVC product's compliance with the Guidelines to earn the PVC Credit points, according to GBCA's guidelines.

Consequently, the manufacturers' 'Interim Declarations' in use as project documentation up to now will no longer be sufficient evidence of compliance for newly registering Green Star projects.  

PVC product suppliers henceforth, need to arrange compliance audits of their products to the best practice Guidelines with qualified auditors to obtain a verification certificate as evidence of compliance.

The GBCA has published a 'Green Star PVC Credit – Auditor Verification Guidance' document detailing the audit pathways and the means by which auditors are to establish compliance with the Guidelines.  

To assist specifiers in identifying PVC Credit compliant products, industry body Vinyl Council of Australia is licensing a trade mark to suppliers and manufacturers whose products have achieved independently verified compliance with the Guidelines.

The trade mark confirms the products are best environmental practice and comply with the Green Star PVC Credit Guidelines. Third party ecolabels such as Green Tag and GECA do not qualify products to earn the points available under the PVC Credit.

An online register is available on the website of the Vinyl Council of Australia for compliant PVC products as well as manufacturers and suppliers.