What are eco & health preferable products?

For the purposes of ecospecifier, an environmentally preferable product or material is:

- a commercially available product or material (currently available in Australia) that:       

• embodies one or more unique environmental attributes or qualities as a result of deliberately eliminating or reducing potential environmental impacts across its life cycle compared to other products in its category, and/or
• embodies one or more unique health attributes or qualities as a result of deliberately eliminating or reducing potential human heath impacts across its life cycle compared to other products in its category, and/or
• is a member of a product category that in itself embodies an ecologically or health preferred product category, (e.g photovoltaic panels as a preference to diesel or petrol generators or fossil fuel powered electrical grid energy)

- a product or material that is further characterised by its development and existence being significantly driven or motivated by environmental objectives, as opposed to an existing material that has undergone incremental environmental improvement

- a product or material that is preferably distinguished by its accompanying product specifications, brochures and marketing materials that clearly and explicitly explain and/or promote the relevant environmental attributes

- a product or material that does not contain significant* quantities of substances known to have deleterious ecological or health impacts in particular:

• persistant organic pollutants
• carcinogenic compounds classified as Group 1 or 2 carcinogens by the IARC
• bioaccumulative compounds
• hormone disrupting compounds
• mutagenic compounds
• teratogenic compounds (see Glossary)
• substances listed in the National Pollutants Inventory ( www.dpi.gov.au) as required to be reported subsequent to 2002

- a product or material that is not sourced using processes deleterious to high conservation value and/or remnant natural ecological communities or bio-reserves

- a product or material that does not create major environmental or health degradation

For further information see Applying Standards.

* The definition of ‘significant’ will vary with the substance and the levels specified within relevant National and International Standards or Schemes, Ecolabels, Sustainability Rating Schemes (e.g. Green Star), scientific literature, peer reviewed research, and journals and other similar respected sources.