Carbon Down

We all know what the 'Australian made' certification looks like and what it stands for. But what about sustainable certifications, for example how do you really know if a product is genuinely organic? Certifications are easy identification marks but often it's hard to know which ones to look out for and what they stand for.

As in most industries, sustainability has regulatory bodies and industry watchdogs that keep standards high and keep consumerism fair. Such bodies are, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), Standards Australia and International Standards Organisation (ISO).

There are also many consumer advocate groups that investigate environmental claims and bring green labelling and reporting standards up to scratch, such as Choice Green Watch. Explained below are some of the more widely used and reliable sustainable certifications that will help you make better environmental purchasing decisions, at home and for your business.

Fairtrade www.fairtrade.net
Fair Trade Certification ensures that products have been produced and sold fairly. This ensures that producers, workers, and communities who are generally disadvantaged in the international market are paid fairly.

Good Environmental Choice Australia label (GECA) www.geca.org.au
GECA reviews a range of consumer, building and industrial products against standards of environmental performance and life cycle assessment.

Energy Rating label www.energyrating.gov.au
It is mandatory for many categories of electrical products offered for sale in Australia to carry an approved energy label. The Energy Rating label is a government endorsed label denoting the energy efficiency of an appliance.

ENERGY STAR label
ENERGY STAR is an international standard for energy efficient electronic equipment. It was created by the US Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 and has now been adopted by several countries around the world, including Australia. Products that carry the ENERGY STAR label are energy efficient as they either automatically switch into a 'sleep' mode when not being used and/or reduce
the amount power used when in 'standby' mode.

Green Power www.greenpower.gov.au
GreenPower is a government accreditation program for renewable energy. GreenPower is generated from clean, renewable energy sources that are easily available and are found in naturally occurring sources such as water flows, energy from the sun, wind energy and waste. It is bought by your energy provider on your behalf.

Australian Certified Organic (ACO) www.ofa.org.au
Australia is one of the few countries with a developed organic sector that does not have a national organic logo/mark. However, there is an Australian Standard for Organic and Biodynamic Products and products can be certified organic through a range of bodies, the largest of which being theAustralian Certified Organic (ACO) label.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) www.fsc.org
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international body that promotes responsible management of the world's forests. As with recycled content, you can get varying percentages of FSC certified content , the higher the FSC percentage the better.

Planet Ark endorsed www.products.planetark.org/paproducts
Planet Ark supports a limited range of 'greener' products. Planet Ark supports these products because they have met with certain environmental standards. They must offer a more environmentally responsible alternative to the commonly used products that are on the market, while still being a quality product.

National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) www.nabers.com.au
Although NABERS is a voluntary environmental rating system for office premises, it is widely recognised. NABERS is a performance‐based rating system for existing buildings. NABERS rates a building on the basis of its measured operational impacts on the environment.

Green Star www.gbca.org.au
Green Star is an environmental rating system for commercial buildings, and is administered by the Green Building Council Australia (GBCA). Green Star rating tools range from 4 Star Green Star Rating (Best Practice) to 6 Star Green Star Rating (World Leadership).

National Carbon Offset Standard (NCOS) Carbon Neutral Program
Carbon Neutral Program is a voluntary scheme which certifies products or business operations as carbon neutral. The program is an initiative of NCOS and is administered by the Australian Carbon Trust. It replaces the Greenhouse Friendly program which ended on 30 June 2010. Visit here for more.

NoCO2 Certification Program
The NoCO2 Certification program is a logo certification system that rewards and recognises carbon neutral products and services. It's run by The Carbon Reduction Institute and there is a variety of certification types including Low CO2 Business Certification and Carbon Neutral Events, visit here.

For more information on other environmental government endorsed programs, such as Grow Me The Money, and Carbon Down, visit www.growmethemoney.com.au and www.carbondown.com.au.