ASSESSMENT OF SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS IN THE GREEN MARK SCHEME

Abstract

The choice of materials of which a building is made, is of considerable significance as it contributes greatly towards its total environmental impact and is therefore an essential consideration to a green building. The Singapore Green Mark (GM) Scheme recognizes this by crediting the adoption of certified sustainable products under the Singapore Green Label Scheme and the Singapore Green Building Product Labeling Scheme, in the fit-out of a building. However, the assessment structure related to the adoption of certified products in GM is arguably deficient in truly driving a green building design with extensive use of green materials. The main aim of this study is hence to identify strategies for improving the structure of GM assessment in order to encourage more extensive adoption of sustainable materials. In order to achieve this aim, it must be understood how the GM assesses and credits the use of sustainable products, what the supporting role of local certification bodies is to the GM Scheme and how various stakeholders in the industry influence one another. Literature review and interviews with personnel from the Building and Construction Authority, Singapore Environmental Council, Singapore Green Building Council and ZEB-Technology Pte Ltd were conducted and it was found that there lacks a clear philosophy behind the current scoring system, resulting in building components being looked at in a disconnected manner. Cost and availability of certified products are identified as critical factors to consider any attempt to change the GM credit structure with regards to sustainable products. The recommendation formulated is to divide all the building fit-out components into several main groups, and for each GM Rating, prescribe a stipulated portion of each group to be greened. To support this recommendation, certification bodies must be proactive in ensuring that there is adequate availability of products in each category to ensure that prices of certified products remain competitive.