Global GreenTag International - First established ECO Platform EPD Program Operator from Australia!

A win in 2023 for Global GreenTag International and manufacturers whose products have Global GreenTag EPDs!

The certification team at Global GreenTag has successfully achieved another landmark win. The Global GreenTag EPD program is now formally recognised and approved as an Established ECO EPD programme and Global GreenTag International – as an ECO EPD Programme Operator.

The significance of this recognition for GreenTag internationally, is hard to underestimate, placing the GreenTag EPD Program equally on par with the biggest EPD programme operators on the planet.

ECO Platform is an International Non-Profit Association established by European EPD Programme Operators as well as supporting members from Manufacturers and Associations in the Construction Sector, Green Building or other Sustainability Initiatives, LCA Practitioners and Tool Providers.

Dr Nana Bortsie – Aryee, Program Director of Global GreenTag who led the submission process with GreenTag Product Assessor and deputy EPD Program Manager, Yasmin Kelly said:

"The audit to reach this goal was a substantial and lengthy journey for Global GreenTag to undergo. It was worth it as this elevates not only our EPDs, globally, but our manufacturers who have submitted their products to the robustness of our EPD program."

On social media, ECO Platform announced on their LinkedIn page the news of GreenTag becoming a part of the platform with the headline:

First established ECO EPD PO from Australia!

Acknowledging that Global GreenTag International is the first EPD program operator from Australia to be audited by ECO Platform, the EPD quality body said that it was happy to announce that GreenTag had successfully passed the ECO Platform Audit as an established ECO EPD Programme Operator, adding:

"We see this as a further big step towards true globalization."

The Mission of ECO Platform is to promote and to contribute to the sustainable development, including a low-carbon economy and resource efficiency in the construction sector, by coordinating the development and provision of credible and scientifically correct data from products.

ECO Platform stand for credible data and ECO EPD Programme Operators all follow the same principles and verification guidelines. Programme Operators are audited regularly to ensure the compliance of the ECO EPD Programme with common ECO Platform quality requirements.

Global GreenTag operates an ISO compliant Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) Program.

The reporting of its LCA studies is issued as an ISO 14025 compliant EPD. These summary LCA reports where requested or relevant to local scheme requirements, can also be reported in accordance with ISO 21930 or EN 15804.

In these formats, GreenTag EPDs are LEEDv4®* compliant (176 + countries) and BREEAM® compliant (78 + countries) as well as recognised by other green building tools, including Green Star®, Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (IS tool) and Homestar® NZ.

As a program operator, Global GreenTag is responsible for EPD compliance to international Standards as well as to its own instructions and rules. Every GreenTag EPD is underpinned by relevant Product Category Rules (PCRs), a set of specific rules, requirements, and guidelines for developing environmental declarations for products that can fulfill equivalent functions.

PCRs determine what information should be gathered, how that information should be evaluated, and how it should be presented in a form of environmental declaration.

Once a Global GreenTag EPD has been finalised for a product, manufacturers can choose to have an additional CarbonRATE assessment conducted using the information generated in the EPD report to provide products with high visibility carbon performance metrics as well. These metrics are especially beneficial in countries like the Common Market countries in the EU working towards Carbon Zero Goals or Mainland China to reach Low Carbon Targets; as well as for companies with rapidly expanding levels of renewable or clean energy in their supply chain and for Sustainable Procurement processes like ISO 20400.

EPDs and as relevant, their attendant Benefit Addendum together with a PHD are the 3 core pieces that form the bulk of the information needs of a NaturePositive+Assessment and ultimately a NaturePositive+Declaration.