Australia: Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA) has released a new standard for cement, concrete and concrete products, and is now welcoming applications for certification. The new Cement, Concrete & Concrete Products Standard covers three distinct sub categories - cement and supplementary cementitious materials (such as blended cements and alternative non-Portland cements), concrete (including ready-mix and concrete manufactured in temporary batching plants on site) and concrete products (such as masonry, precast concrete, pipes, roof tiles, and autoclaved cellular concrete). It seeks to support and reward manufacturers who make efforts to minimise the environmental, health and social impacts of cement and concrete production.

The GECA standard is intended to enable manufacturers to provide assurance to procurers and specifiers seeking products with a lower environmental impact that their product meets strict sustainability criteria. The standard is currently under review for recognition under the Green Building Council of Australia’s (GBCA) Green Star ratings tools and is recognised by the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia’s (ISCA) ratings system. GECA is a non-profit organisation and part of the ecolabelling initiative that helps consumers identify environmental aspects of products.