Green Star AFRICA! Global GreenTag ALL READY TO GO!

The Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) is now licenced to certify green buildings throughout the African continent with their building rating system now rebranded Green Star Africa. This is very exciting news for all of our manufacturers as the green building movement gathers even more momentum across the African continent.

Currently, products certified under the Global GreenTag GreenRate^TM and LCARate^TM programs in South Africa are recognised by the Green Building Council of South Africa. Global GreenTag International already has the capability and is already working on converting products certified under Global GreenTag and migrating these certifications for compliance on Green Star projects in South Africa.  "With Green Star Africa rolling out, we are in the greatest position to be even more relevant on the African continent," says Global GreenTag International CEO David Baggs.

"This potentially means more and more opportunities for our manufacturers to market more seamlessly their certified products throughout Africa. It's a great move by the GBCSA. Our continued business presence on the ground in South Africa has been well worth the time that we have invested in to participating in and helping to support the growth of the green building movement in Africa. We can all now look forward to watching how the African regional Green Building Councils develop further their vision for greener projects across the entire continent. We can assure you that Global GreenTag has every intention to develop its relationships with those councils as they proceed."
GBCSA's sustainability rating scheme was originally developed by the Green Building Council Australia (GBCA) and licensed to the GBCSA in 2008 for use in South Africa. The new licence agreement allows the GBCSA, in collaboration with the seven other African green building councils (in Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zambia) to sub-licence and use Green Star with their Local Context Report to certify buildings in their respective countries.

The GBCSA has actually been certifying green buildings across Africa outside of South Africa since 2014 in collaboration with local councils, allowing for adaptation of the Green Star SA tools for certification in their respective countries, said Thulani Kuzwayo, Regional Chair of the Africa Regional Network of green building councils in a recent statement.
"There are Green Star certified buildings already in Ghana, Rwanda, Namibia and Kenya, with upcoming registered projects in Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania and Mauritius to follow. It is fitting that the Green Star rating system name now encompasses the entire continent aZambias the green building movement goes from strength to strength in the region."
What will this mean for existing Global GreenTag certified products, as the new Green Star Africa tool takes effect in different Green Building Council regions throughout Africa?

David Baggs says that Global GreenTag expect further amendments to unfold with the use of the Green Star Africa tool in different regions but is confident that product certification conversions should not be too difficult.

"Interior fitout products already certified in Australia are easily converted to meet the Green Star SA Interiors Tool requirements set out by the Green Building Council of South Africa. For the rest of the African continent, as they take on the new Design and As Built rating tool, GreenTag certified products will more than likely be recognised also, in addition to the current INTERIORS rating tool."
Currently, both Global GreenTag GreenRate and LCARate certification has been recognised by the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) as a product certification standard for the Materials Fit out Calculator in Green Star SA Interiors Rating Tool. It does however require an interpretive evaluation against the GBCSA recognition criteria and issuing of a separate GBCSA Rating certificate. The GreenTag GBCSA Rating certificates are recognised for certifying interiors fitout, consisting of four categories: Furniture, Assemblies, Flooring and Wall Coverings.

Romilly Madew, CEO of the Green Building Council of Australia recently stated that "the growth of green buildings in Africa and involvement of the industry is truly inspirational and the GBCSA has driven a new way of thinking about green buildings – one which captures the benefits of green building not only for the environment, but for people too."

"Building rating systems are one of the most powerful mechanisms to drive positive change and market transformation, and to build better places for people too. I'm optimistic that this new era for Green Star will help other countries in Africa to achieve success too."
Located in Africa? Contact Lizette Swanevelder: mailto:" target="_blank[]

Located outside of Africa? Contact David Baggs: mailto:" target="_blank[]