After months of hard work and dedication, Agar Cleaning Systems has proudly licensed seven cleaning products from its Green Cleaning Range to the latest, and much more stringent commercial cleaning product standard (CPv2.2i-2012) from Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA).
 |
GECA is the “gold class” of Australian ecolabelling programs. Its label provides confidence for buyers, confused by the host of greenwashing marketing material, to make trusted, environmentally sustainable choices. Property managers looking for the highest standard of environmentally preferable solutions will demand the use of cleaning products certified by GECA. Using GECA products sends a clear message to your clients that you are committed to environmental sustainability and the use of concentrated, high-performance products. |
What is the difference between GECA and other green labels in Australia?
GECA is an independent, not for profit organisation which runs a multi-sector green certification program. In simple terms this means that GECA has no ties to the cleaning industry or any association within it, it provides certification to a range of commercial products and suppliers and all its profits go back into the organisation to fund further programs.
Internationally recognised, GECA’s ecolabelling program is Australia’s only member of the Global Ecolabelling Network, home to other world-renowned members such as Green Seal (USA), The Nordic Swan (Nordic 5 countries) and EU Ecolabel (Europe).
GECA’s standards are more rigorous than any other Australian ecolabelling program for commercial cleaning products and are extremely difficult to achieve. The program not only takes into account product factors, such as the ingredients used, level of biodegradability, minimal and recyclable packaging, and increased concentration and product performance but also includes the health impacts that the products can have on the user as well as the conditions that the products are manufactured under.
GECA’s programs are fully transparent and its standards are developed through consultation with a wide range of stakeholders including industries, experts and the general public.
 |
New to the latest standard and unique to GECA is the requirement that 20% of all palm oil and palm kernel oil used in certified products must be obtained from sustainable sources. In order to comply with this requirement for all its cleaning products, not just those certified by GECA, Agar has purchased Green Palm Sustainability certificates. These certificates enable Agar a verified option for supporting sustainable palm oil and provides its clients with the confidence that its supplier is environmentally responsible. |
What benefits can you gain from using Agar’s GECA certified products?
Commitment to the environment and staff – Using GECA certified products sends a strong message to property managers and other clients about the commitment your company has to the environment. With the most stringent standards for accreditation, you can be sure that using Agar’s GECA certified cleaning products will position your company at the leading edge of environmental sustainability.
Unique proposition – Promoting the use of Agar’s GECA certified products sets cleaning service businesses apart from competitors and gives it an advantage.
More performance –The Agar GECA certified range has been specially formulated to work just as hard as traditional cleaning products to ensure cleaners get the same, great performance, and results they have come to expect from Agar.
Value for money –Agar boasts high concentrations across all its products and the GECA range is no exception. Formulated so that users get the most out of each bottle, the range minimises transport and packaging costs to save businesses money and reduce carbon emissions.
Achieving the new standard
To be awarded the new standard, many of the products in Agar’s GECA range needed to be further refined or significantly reformulated to be approved. This occasion marks a very important achievement for Agar, as it demonstrates its ability to formulate products that perform at a high level while minimising environmental impact.
The demanding accreditation procedure ensures that Agar’s products are not only safer for the environment but safer for its users too.
Summary of changes for the new standard
-
New palm oil and palm kernel oil criteria ensure that if these raw materials are used, a minimum of 20% must be purchased from sustainable, responsible sources. Agar is now a paid-up signatory to the Green Palm Organisation which enables us to buy certificates that support farmers who produce responsibly-grown palm and palm kernel oil from RSPO manufacturers. (RSPO stands for Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil). This stops the destruction of palm-tree forest habitat for endangered species and protects peatlands which are reservoirs for large amounts of CO2. Agar will offset ALL palm and palm kernel oil it uses in ALL products, not just the GECA products, to ensure that these raw materials come from sustainable, responsible suppliers.
-
ALL organic ingredients and surfactants must be aerobically biodegradable. This is now a more stringent requirement and ensures a higher level of biodegradability. This requirement has lead Agar to further refine several of its GECA products as it has dramatically reduced the range of organic materials that can be used in the products. Many stock-standard detergent surfactants used in the industry will not pass this test.
-
ALL surfactants must be anaerobically biodegradable. This means that they will break down even in sludge where there is little oxygen. Again, this greatly restricts the types of surfactant Agar can use.
-
Volatile Organic Compounds are limited to 3% by weight in the diluted solution of cleaning products. The old limit was 5%, so this is a further tightening of the volatile organics, such as solvents and perfumes. It will lead to even better indoor air quality where these products are used.
-
No phosphates are now permitted. The old Standard allowed a small number of phosphates to be used. Phosphates are not desirable in inland waterways because they promote the growth of algal blooms and eutrophication in lakes and rivers if the product were to find its way into these waterways.
-
The manufacturer’s factory wastewater emissions must now be monitored and analysed for volume, chemical oxygen demand and contaminants. This is to ensure that the production facility is not causing pollution of the downstream treatment facilities.
-
The products must not be classed as Dangerous Goods or Hazardous goods (with the only exception being toilet cleaners which can be Xi Irritant, not C Corrosive).
-
The products must be completely free from all carcinogens, teratogens and endocrine disruptors. This is to protect the health and safety of people using the products.
-
A comprehensive list of seriously toxic and environment-pollution chemicals have been banned from these cleaning products.
-
All bioaccumulative substances have been banned. No chemicals that could potentially accumulate in human tissue are present in GECA-accredited products.
-
Ingredients that are classed as toxic or harmful to the environment have been capped at 1% maximum by the Standard.
-
New rules stipulate that the ratio of the volume of shipped goods transported to the volume of in-use product that can be made from the goods is below a limit of 2:3. This is to minimise the amount of energy wasted by transporting excess water in the products.
-
Waste management is now audited in the factory to ensure that raw material losses in the manufacturing process are absolutely minimal.
-
Energy conservation policies must be in place in the factory.
-
The best effective storage procedures must be utilised to prevent spills, leaks or emissions of chemical raw materials to water, land or air. This is to prevent accidental pollution from occurring.
-
All GECA-accredited products must now pass the above requirements in addition to all of the original GECA requirements which are still in place. For more detailed information, you can access GECA Standard No: CPv2.2-2012 at http://www.geca.org.au/products/standards/49/
 |
 |
Join us on socials
|
|
