Aussie organisations offered green knowledge
Aussie organisations offered green knowledge
Aug 26, 2005: Australian organisations that are interested in buying greener products and services as part of their commitment towards saving the environment now have the opportunity to learn about these offerings via a new, free online database.
A recent survey by Good Environmental Choice Australia, that involved 500 Australians, found that 92 percent wanted to see more environmental information on products and some 90 percent would give preference to greener products if they were the same price and quality.
The key problem, in terms of progressing the Australian economy towards a more environmentally sensible foundation, appears to be down to the lack of environmental information and misleading information.
The Green Procurement Database aims to address these issues in a comprehensive and easily accessible way.
Petar Johnson, the president of Food Environmental Choice Australia, said that the database has been presented as an international site hopefully bringing forward interest for green Australian products and services from the international as well as the domestic markets.
"As green purchasing systems in government and corporate Australia develop they are going to find that the technical material they need is not readily available. Companies at this time often misrepresent their real environmental impacts or only partially declare their environmental information.
"The database will not only list products that have been independently certified but will also educate purchasing officers on what questions to ask and what is suitable evidence to be supplied from manufacturers."
The new national green purchasing database will provide a list of products and services on the basis of their actual environmental performance. It will include information about quantifiable environmental performance; pictures and manufacturer contact details for each product; key product lifecycle impact information; a spreadsheet format allowing easier comparisons and introductory technical material to help each organisation consider the different environmental loads.
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