About the Scheme
The Best Environmental Practice (BEP) product verification scheme recognises PVC products which have been independently assessed to be compliant with stringent criteria and guidelines for PVC manufacturing, and aims to aid procurers, specifiers, and consumers in finding products that have been manufactured with environmental and social impacts of the product life cycle in mind.
Products that are verified as being fully compliant with all core, and one or more optional scheme guidelines are eligible to be issued with a BEP PVC Licence Mark by the VCA, and can be found in the online product register on the VCA website. To be confident that a particular PVC product is compliant with BEP guidelines, look for this mark:
Responsible Products Framework for Green Star
The VCA is now fully responsible for the development, management, and administration of the scheme with many of the existing guidelines updated as of the launch of BEP 2.0 and effective from 1st September 2023.
BEP verification is a recognised product certification scheme through the Green Building Council of Australia’s (GBCA) Responsible Products Framework which seeks to drive the supply chain to deliver transparent, low-impact and net-zero carbon products within a circular economy.
Any PVC products that have achieved third party compliance certification under the BEP guidelines are recognised by the GBCA in their Responsible Products Framework which outlines criteria for assessing how ‘responsible’ a product is and recognises certain initiatives that a product or manufacturer can comply with – like BEP – for the purposes of contributing to a building’s Green Star certification. Regardless of other accreditations they may have, all PVC products will need to demonstrate BEP accreditation for building projects to earn points towards their Green Star certification and assist project teams to achieve Responsible Product credits in the GBCA’s Green Star Buildings Tool.
In the GBCA’s Green Star Buildings Tool, PVC pipes, cables, flooring, permanent formwork and blinds in a project which meet the BEP guidelines for PVC are compliant with the criteria to contribute to achieving points under some Responsible Products credits.
If you have a question about PVC products in Green Star, see the GBCA website.
To demonstrate that a product is compliant with the criteria, a manufacturer will need to provide to their customer an independent auditor’s certificate of assessment that the PVC product is compliant with the updated BEP guidelines. The updated BEP 2.0 guidelines will apply when companies seek renewal of their BEP accreditation.
The VCA has published the following Best Environmental Practice PVC v2.0 Guidelines (PDF) in order to provide the means by which independent verifiers are to establish compliance of PVC products in order to earn credit points towards Green Star projects.
In order for PVC products to be recognised under the Framework, the following pathways will apply:
- For all PVC products used, the manufacturing of the PVC product must comply with the Best Environmental Practice PVC Guidelines. This is highlighted by GBCA as an ‘Additional Requirement.’ (There are Additional Requirements for timber, paints, adhesives, sealants and engineered wood products.)
- For Responsible Structure compliance: the credit is achieved where a specified PVC product has Best Environmental Practice PVC plus Climate Active Carbon Neutral for Products & Services, or Global GreenTag GreenRate Level A.
- For Responsible Envelope compliance: the credit is achieved where a specified PVC product has Best Environmental Practice PVC plus Climate Active Carbon Neutral for Products & Services, or Global GreenTag GreenRate Level A.
- For Responsible Systems compliance: the credit is achieved where a specified PVC product has Best Environmental Practice PVC plus Climate Active Carbon Neutral for Products & Services, or a Product Specific or Industry Sector EPD, or Global GreenTag GreenRate Level A or GECA Carpets.
- For Responsible Finishes compliance: the credit is achieved where a PVC product has Best Environmental Practice PVC plus Climate Active Carbon Neutral for Products & Services, or a Product Specific or Industry Sector EPD, or Global GreenTag GreenRate Level A or GECA Carpets or Floor Coverings. In this category, BEP plus Climate Active Carbon Neutral for Products & Services would be considered 'Exceptional Performance'.
