GECA Certified Range

Knauf has standard non-fire rated and fire rated Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA) certified plasterboards – MastaShield ECO and FireShield ECO. These can be used for Green Star or sustainable building projects.

MastaShield ECO and FireShield ECO are manufactured in accordance with GECA Panel Board Standard 04-2007; under a quality system certified as complying with AS/NZS ISO 9001:2008 and both meet the requirements of AS/NZ 2588, Gypsum Plasterboard.

Suitable for either commercial or residential applications, MastaShield ECO can be used for standard wall or ceiling systems while FireShield ECO is suitable areas where a fire rating and good sound insulation performance is needed.

MastaShield ECO can be substituted into over 30 standard MastaShield 13mm systems and FireShield ECO can be substituted into over 140 fire-rated and sound insulation FireShield 13mm systems published in the Tech Manual.

The following is a list of resources relating to Knauf’s GECA certified products and information about sustainable buildings.

• Environmental Product Declaration for MastaShield ECO and FireShield ECO
• MastaShield ECO Tech Data Sheet
• MastaShield ECO MSDS
• FireShield ECO Tech Data Sheet
• FireShield ECO MSDS
• Tech Manual

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Green Star Compliance

The Knauf Green Star Compliance document illustrates how Knauf’s products meet Green Star requirements for the Materials categories: Offices, Healthcare and Multi Unit Residential.

Information is also included on how all Knauf’s products, systems and services can contribute to Green Star rating points in the categories of Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ) and Management (MAN).

TABLE 1: Green Star rating tools and categories applicable for Knauf products, systems and services

Green Star rating tool	Materials (MAT)	Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ)	Management (MAN)
Education v1		IEQ-7 & IEQ-8	MAN-7
Healthcare v1	MAT-14	IEQ-7 & IEQ-8	MAN-7
Industrial v1		IEQ-7 & IEQ-8	MAN-7
Multi Unit Residential v1	MAT-14	IEQ-7 & IEQ-8	MAN-7
Office v3		IEQ-12 & IEQ-13	MAN-7
Office As Built v2		IEQ-12 & IEQ-13	MAN-7
Office Design v2		IEQ-12 & IEQ-13	MAN-7
Office Interiors v1.1	MAT-3	IEQ-10 & IEQ-11	MAN-6
Retail Centre v1		IEQ-7 & IEQ-8	MAN-7

The application of the products in a system or solution will determine the total number of Green Star credits awarded. Please contact Knauf Technical Support on 1300 724 505 for more information on the Knauf Green Star Compliance document. More information on Green Star can also be found at the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) website.

MATERIALS

Plasterboard can achieve Green Star Points within the following materials categories:

• Office Interiors V1.1 - MAT-3 Walls and Partitions calculator (maximum 3 points)
• Healthcare V1 - MAT-14 Ceilings, Walls and Partitions calculator (maximum 2 points)
• Multi Unit Residential V1 - MAT-14 Internal Walls calculator (maximum 2 points) 

Knauf GECA certified products MastaShield ECO and FireShield ECO can achieve 100% Green Star points. Knauf GECA certified products require no further documentation to be submitted for the materials category of Green Star ratings tools.

A lower level of Green Star points may be achieved when using other Knauf products. The Knauf Green Star Compliance document provides supporting information for using these products in Green Star building projects registered to ratings tools pre-version Material Calulator 2.0.

 

TABLE 2: An example of the Materials Calculator and the maximum product score for the selected products

Total area of walls and partitions = X

* These Knauf products are not certified for eco-preferred content.

INDOOR ENVIRONMENT QUALITY (IEQ)

Knauf contributes to Green Star projects in two sub-categories within Internal Environment Quality. 

Internal Noise Levels: noise reduction systems for reverberation and sound insulation using SoundShield and AcoustiShield plasterboard will achieve 100% for plasterboard systems towards the total.

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s): all Knauf adhesives and compounds are third party certified as low in VOC content and under the required levels for Green Star projects, achieving 100% for plasterboard related products toward the total.  

 

MANAGEMENT (MAN)
Knauf can contribute towards points achieved in the project’s Waste Management Category by providing access to plasterboard waste collection, re-use and recycling services to contractors.

The Green Star environmental rating system is run by the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA). Click here to visit their website.

Sustainable Building Projects completed with Knauf

• Innovation Place, North Sydney, NSW - 4.5 Star ABGR Rating
• The SkyVue, Sydney, NSW - 4.5 Star ABGR Rating
• 77 King Street, Sydney, NSW - 4.5 Star ABGR Rating
• Justice Precinct, Parramatta, NSW - 5 Star Green Star Rating - more information
• Sydney Water Building, Parramatta, NSW - 5 Star Green Star Rating - more information
• Media House, Melbourne, VIC - 5 Star Green Star Rating
• South Australia Water, Adelaide SA - 6 Star Green Star Rating
• Knauf's products are warranted to be free from defects and perform as a wall and ceiling lining for a period of 10 years. For more information click here.
  

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Plasterboard Life Cycle Assessment

Knauf has participated in a generic Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for plasterboard in Australia and New Zealand as part of our involvement in the Gypsum Board Manufacturers Association (GBMA). The LCA identifies the environmental impacts of plasterboard throughout the lifecycle - including raw material production, manufacture, distribution, use and disposal. The scope of this lifecycle assessment is often known as a “cradle to grave” assessment.

The purpose of the generic LCA completed by the GBMA is to establish a complete industry assessment to be used as a benchmark for reducing damages caused by the environmental impacts of plasterboard and for comparing with other building materials.

There are six main stages in the life cycle of plasterboard:

1. Gypsum Mining
   The gypsum used in Knauf is sourced from one of the biggest gypsum deposits in the southern hemisphere with between 500 and 700 million tones of natural gypsum.
2. Gypsum Transport
   Once the salt content in mined gypsum has been sufficiently reduced through rainwater leaching, the gypsum is transported by rail to a stockpile and then loaded onto ships to be sent to Knauf manufacturing plants in Altona, VIC and Matraville, NSW.
3. Plaster Mill
   Gypsum rock is transformed into plaster using extreme heat (up to 350 degrees Celsius) in a kettle. This process, called calcining, causes the gypsum to lose 75% of its water and transforms it into stucco or Plaster of Paris. Plaster is then finely ground in a mill.
4. Plasterboard Production
   The plaster is combined with water and additives to form a gypsum slurry which is then spread in a uniform stream onto a moving sheet of paper. Once the top sheet of paper has been applied, the board hardens while traveling along the production line and then passes through a multi-level dryer to remove residual moisture.
5. Distribution
   Knauf distributes plasterboard to warehouses, PlastaMasta franchise stores and building sites via road transport throughout Australia.
6. End of Life
   Plasterboard is 100% recyclable if disassembled in a manner which leaves the product free of contaminates such as steel tracks, screws and adhesives. The old plasterboard can be recycled into new plasterboard or soil conditioner which can help crops and other plant life to thrive.

The production processes at the plaster mill and plasterboard production stages contribute most significantly to the primary energy consumption and environmental impacts. These impacts are caused mainly by the use of thermal energy for converting gypsum into plaster and for drying the plasterboard. More information on the environmental impacts of plasterboard is below.

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Environmental impact of Plasterboard Life Cycle

The main environmental impacts assessed in the Life Cycle Assessment of plasterboard are:

1. Primary Energy (MP) – also known as embodied energy, which is the energy consumed by all processes from extraction of materials (cradle) through to the production of a product (gate) and distribution for use (site)
2. Global warming potential (GWP100) – caused by CO2 emissions which enhance the greenhouse effect
3. Ozone depletion potential (ODP) – caused by CFC (chlorofluorocarbon) emissions which reduces the ozone layer, thereby preventing the ozone from absorbing the sun’s harmful UV radiation rays
4. Eutrophication potential (EP) – caused by an increase of nutrients, mainly nitrogen and phosphorous, to soil and water which contributes to a reduction in species diversity
5. Acidification potential (AP) – caused by SO2 and NOx emissions into the air – also known as acid rain
6. Photochemical ozone creation potential (POCP) – also known as “summer fog”

The graph below shows the level of which each stage of the plasterboard life cycle contributes to main environmental impacts. Clearly the plaster mill process (3) and plasterboard production process (4) contribute most to these environmental impacts.

Therefore, our main opportunity to reduce the environmental impact of plasterboard lies in improvements to the production process.

For more information, click here.

*Note: Lifecycle Stage 4: Wallboard is another name for plasterboard

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Why is plasterboard "Green"?

Compared to traditional materials, plasterboard is an ideal product for sustainable construction.

• Low embodied energy
  Plasterboard has very low embodied energy per square metre and at the same time it can perform many functions. Plasterboard wall systems can meet all building code requirements including fire, acoustic and thermal insulation ratings.

  Embodied energy is the energy consumed by all processes from extraction of raw materials (‘cradle’) through to the production of a product (‘gate’) and distribution for use (‘site’). Due to variations in the transport of material to site, the ‘cradle to gate’ measurement, or PER, is used most often.

• Made from naturally occurring resources

Gypsum – over 90% of Knauf plasterboard is made from natural Australian gypsum. Gypsum is a non-toxic and natural rock formed from calcium sulfate during the dinosaur era through the evaporation of inland seas throughout the world.

Paper – Plasterboard is lined with 100% post consumer recycled paper which is FSC 100% Recycled certified.

Water – Water is mainly used to create the gypsum slurry which is then poured onto the paper liner. Process water and production waste are recycled internally within the factory so that no water is discharged. Furthermore, measures are in place to reduce water consumption and to increase the amount of harvested storm water used in the production process.

Additives – The remaining ingredients in plasterboard are additives, used to enhance properties of plasterboard such as fire resistance, moisture resistance and acoustic properties

• Lightweight
  Plasterboard is a lightweight building material which reduces transport costs and emissions as well as the total weight of buildings.
• Very little packaging
  The only packaging used for storing and transporting plasterboard is gluts which are fabricated from plasterboard reject and waste pieces.
• Fully recyclable
  Plasterboard is 100% recyclable if disassembled in a manner which leaves the product free of contaminates such as steel tracks, screws and adhesives. The used plasterboard can be recycled into new plasterboard, or soil conditioner which is used for farming and rehabilitation of mine sites.
• Very Low Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
  VOCs are organic compounds which vaporise readily into the atmosphere. Many VOCs can be harmful when released into the environment. Plasterboard has negligible VOC levels and is therefore a healthy choice of building material. For more details click here.
• Compliance with Green Star rating tools
  The use of Knauf products, services and systems can contribute to points on Green Star rating tools.
• Constant improvements to the manufacturing process to improve our environmental impact
  Knauf has many initiatives to reduce environmental impact, such as harvesting stormwater, minimising water consumption, recycling plasterboard production waste and utilising a heat recovery system.

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