National Standards Development Organisation now has standards available for both masonry and roofing products. These standards have been developed by members of the respective industries to allow cost-effective product ecolabeling and product declarations, based on formal life cycle assessment.
Both Type I Ecolabelling and Type III Product Declaration Standards are available.
The initial step in the process for each product category was to conduct a comprehensive product category baseline assessment of products available in the Australian market. This provided a scientific basis for the determination of which inputs were significant, and hence the requirements for both product declarations and ecolabeling.
By combining the LCA data with information on the market mix for products used in Australia it is then possible to calculate a market-weighted average environmental score (in ecopoints) for a product category. An individual product’s score can then be compared with this average. This provides the basis for awarding an ecolabel.
These NSDO standards are now available for use. The masonry standard covers concrete masonry, concrete bricks and clay bricks. The roofing standard covers both flat and pitched roofing systems.
Further information on these standards can be obtained from www.nsdo.org.au or by emailing info@nsdo.org.au