Responsible Products and the Pathways to Sustainability

For specifiers, treading the pathway to sustainability is a tricky task. Amidst the many claims of environmental responsibility, product stewardship, supply chain management, and so forth, it can be difficult to distinguish between fact and fiction; between suppliers with valid, provable claims to sustainability and those doing no more than greenwashing.

The good news is that now more than ever, many companies are working towards more sustainable products. In achieving these, however, cutting corners is not an option. Lifecycle assessments that encompass everything from resource extraction, energy consumption and carbon emissions, to water usage, manufacturing by-products, supply chains, and more, represent the only valid method of assessment.

This session of CPD Live is concerned with empowering specifiers to identify products that, having undertaken assessments of this type, can be used to work towards a more sustainable outcome. Focussing on plumbing products to illustrate their points, our speakers will outline the techniques used to assess their whole of life impacts and point to the certifications and documentation that specifiers should seek out when looking for transparent data around the environmental footprint of products.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this presentation, you should be able to:

• Define the term ‘circularity’ as it applies to building products
• Explain how the circular economy differs from the traditional linear model
• Outline the various measurements involved in lifecycle assessments
• Identify strategies to identify and specify plumbing products that are genuinely sustainable

Speakers

Brittany Lloyd-Tertis, State Manager, Geberit

Brittany Lloyd-Tertis is the QLD/NT State Manager for Geberit in Australia; a globally active group specialising in sanitary technology and piping innovations. Since joining the plumbing industry in 2015, Brittany has developed a keen interest in the use of technology and sustainability within the construction space. Predominantly focusing in the specification and design stage of a project, Brittany is motivated by design-led solutions, identifying new and creative ways to achieve project objectives with sustainability at the core of each decision.

Harriet Smith, Responsible Products Program Lead, GBCA

As the Program Lead for Responsible Products at the Green Building Council of Australia, Harriet is leading the Responsible Products Program. This program includes the delivery of the Responsible Products Calculator for Green Star project teams, and the Responsible Products Directory, a platform to view Responsible, Positive, Healthy and Circular products, creating transparency in the products and materials space. Harriet’s previous experience has been in management consulting, specifically in the Supply Chain and Operations industry, delivering large scale technology transformation projects. Harriet has now worked at the GBCA for 1.5 years and is passionate about the Circular Economy which she believes is a significant part of transforming the built environment into a more sustainable one.

Vanessa Ledingham, Business Development Executive, Geberit

Vanessa Ledingham is the Business Development Executive for Geberit NSW and ACT.  She is responsible for assisting the architect and design space to utilise the innovations in sanitary solutions that allow smart, space saving designs with sustainability in mind. From initial concept and design to delivery and after care, Vanessa works with Architects, Designers, Builders and Plumbers to achieve tailored project outcomes. Vanessa’s previous roles include Product Management, Sales and Marketing with a particular focus on bringing new products to market. Vanessa prides herself on assisting creators design beautiful sustainable spaces in the Australian built environment