Macquarie Green Solutions

Macquarie Green Solutions is an Eco-friendly range of textiles produced to the most stringent environmental criteria and manufactured out of its Australian mill, offering exceptional performance and durability as well as a wide range of beautiful designs and rich colours. Macquarie's textile solutions are designed for office, education, Government, healthcare, transport and residential environments.

The Macquarie Green Solutions range has undergone extensive and highly advanced testing to ensure an accurate assessment of their environmental impact. The results determine which textiles are acceptable for inclusion in the Green Solutions range, and only those that boast extraordinary environmental benefits are included. From the raw materials used, the production methods employed and characteristics of the finished product, Macquarie Green Solutions are a conscious choice to preserve our environment and secure our future.

All Macquarie Green Solutions textiles are uniquely identifiable by the distinct green logo that certifies their compliance with the following stringent criteria:

None of Macquarie's competitors in Australasia can claim to have the same level of absolute control over the total production process that Macquarie does. In line with this unequalled advantage, Macquarie's manufacturing procedures do not just meet but exceed the minimum requirements for environmentally responsible textile production. An advantage of the level of control Macquarie has with Green Solutions Textiles is that it has exclusive control over the selection of raw wool, conversion to yarn, weaving, processing and/or dyeing, right through to the marketing of the finished product. Furthermore, Macquarie is ISO 9001-2000 accredited ensuring absolute adherence to the strict manufacturing criteria required by its Quality Assurance Accreditation.

Macquarie has also chosen to seek independent endorsement of its quality control procedures rather than simply relying on its own environmental parameters. Accordingly, Macquarie has been audited by Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA), an independent, not-for-profit public company. The GECA textiles' standard is among the world's toughest environmental benchmarks and is awarded to only the leading product lines within a specific market. Two of Macquarie's designs, Billabong and Pioneer, have been awarded Eco-Label rights after an extensive auditing process. More products will follow.

The objectives of the Eco-labelling programme are to:

1. Provide market incentives through the supply chain to reduce environmental impact of products sold in Australia.
2. Provide a clear, credible and independent guide to consumers and purchasing officers taking account environmental impacts in their purchasing decisions.
3. Encourage consumers and purchasing officers to purchase products that have lower environmental impact.
4. Provide guidance to companies seeking to reduce their environmental impact.

The GECA programme has been independently assessed as compliant to ISO 14024 and is the Australian member to the global Eco-labelling network (with international mutual recognition agreements with Eco-labelling programmes such as European Union Eco Label and Green Seal USA). GECA also has a memorandum of understanding with a number of Australian organizations promoting sustainable building products and architecture such as the Green Building Council and Ecospecifier.

Green Start Credits through the Green Building Council of Australia are contributed to through the use of Macquarie's GECA certified Green Solutions range. Macquarie's Green Solutions range is a welcome addition to furniture manufacturers and green building designers seeking Green Star Certification for their interior fit-outs. The Green Solutions range automatically contributes to environmentally innovative material points in the Green Star Certification rating process.

To find out more about the GEC declaration visit www.geca.org.au

Macquarie also maintains strong and close relationships with the international textile community, which not only provides it with knowledge sharing opportunities, but also directly involves it in the research and development of advanced environmental techniques that optimize ecological sustainability.

Macquarie is very proud to be a pioneer in research efforts to synergise ecological issues and economic urgency well before it was politically important or legislatively necessary.

The location of Macquarie's textile mill in Albury was chosen in 1992 to meet criteria of reduced water consumption and greenhouse emissions. Macquarie is an inaugural member of the Australian Government-sponsored Greenhouse Challenge Programme and is the only textile business that is actively involved in this initiative. As an inaugural member of the programme, Macquarie successfully meets a number of ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets and is continuing to commit to further reductions. Macquarie also works closely with organisations such as the CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial research Organisation) and GECA as part of its ongoing commitment to improve, refine and evolve its policies and practices.

In all that Macquarie does, its goal is to exceed benchmark standards, affording its clients and partners the best possible textile solutions available.

Preserve our environment and secure our future.

Environmental Choice

Macquarie is uniquely able to manage the total production processes of its Green Solutions textile range. Furthermore, at the end of their useable life cycle, Macquarie's Product Stewardship programme allows it to accept back for recycling any of the Green Solutions range of textiles.

Wool has long been the premium textile fibre for commercial environments. Not only does wool offer inherent flame retardancy, exceptional durability and performance, maintaining its appearance year after year, it also has a luxurious handle. More recently, extensive research has found that wool uniquely has the ability to absorb Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) thereby significantly improving indoor air quality.

Importantly, wool is also rapidly renewable and biodegradable, having significantly less environmental impact than many comparable synthetic furnishing textiles.

Copies of Macquarie's environmental product declarations and GECA licences are available on request and will enhance environmental tenders and achievements of Green Star ratings.