Singapore Green Building Product Certification Scheme
Aligned with the World Green Building Council’s vision of green buildings for everyone, everywhere, the Singapore Green Building Council (SGBC) aims to make the spaces we live, work and play in healthier, more sustainable, and more resource-efficient. In order to advance Singapore’s built environment to one that is greener and more carbon efficient, SGBC administers the Singapore Green Building Product (SGBP) certification scheme to recognise green building products and facilitate sustainable procurement.
The SGBP certification scheme advances the built environment to one that is greener and more carbon-efficient while facilitating sustainable procurement. The certification ensures that sustainability is integrated throughout the design and manufacturing process of products.
Key Information
While the SGBC is the owner of the SGBP certification scheme, its wholly owned subsidiary, SGBC Pte Ltd, is the certification body responsible for the evaluation of SGBP applications. Stakeholders may reach out to SGBC Pte Ltd at [email protected] to request for any of the following information:
- Information about the SGBP certification scheme, certification procedures and fee structures.
- Procedures for granting, maintaining, extending or reducing the scope of, suspending, withdrawing or refusing certification.
- Information related to the requirements, restrictions or limitations on the use of the SGBP mark, and methods to refer to the SGBP certification granted.
- Information about procedures for handling complaints and appeals, as well as how to submit one.
FOR PRODUCT SUPPLIERS:
- Analysis of your product’s sustainability performance by experts and certification by a credible source
- Opportunity and insight into how to further develop your products to be more sustainable
- Greater awareness of your product for use in our current and future buildings
FOR DESIGNERS/ SPECIFIERS:
- An overview of products that are certified sustainable
- An understanding of how a product stacks up against others in terms of their sustainability performance
- Easier decision-making when choosing more sustainable products
FOR BUILDERS/ OWNERS:
- An overview of products that are certified sustainable
- Data around the environmental properties of the products you use
- A unique selling point for your building projects
FOR TENANTS/ OCCUPANTS:
- An understanding of how sustainable the spaces you live and work in are
- Health benefits of living/working in a greener building
Once a product is certified, SGBC Pte Ltd will issue the product a certificate. Only certified products will be listed on the SGBP Certification Directory, which is maintained on the Singapore Green Building Council’s website. This Interactive Directory is actively used by building industry professionals such as consultants, contractors, building developers and owners. Stakeholders can demand that products/ materials used for a building are SGBP certified. Certified products can gain credits under various green building rating tools.
The SGBP certification scheme is one of the key standards and benchmarks for green building products in the building and construction industry. Products and materials certified by the SGBP are highly recognised under the Green Mark Scheme, Singapore’s national green building rating tool administered by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), which allows certified products to accrue points that count towards a project’s Green Mark rating. The more highly rated a product is under the SGBP Scheme (i.e., the more ticks it has achieved), the more points are awarded towards the Green Mark rating.
SGBP Certification Scheme is also widely accepted by regional green building rating tools for its coverage of product’s sustainability performance. Examples include GreenRE, a rating tool set up by the Real Estate & Housing Developments’ Association (REHDA) of Malaysia, and LOTUS, Vietnam Green Building Council’s rating tool. The SGBP complies with many of the requirements in ISO 14024 Environmental labels and declarations — Type I environmental labelling.
SGBC is always working to improve our SGBP’s quality and usability. The SGBP Certification Scheme is similar to internationally leading eco-labels, such as Cradle2Cradle, DECLARE, Global Green Tag, Good Environmental Choice Australia, Korea Environmental Industry and Technology Institute. Future versions of the SGBP may provide additional recognition for products that excel in addressing social issues, circular economy, and low embodied carbon, and reorganise the Scheme’s governance to allow for products certified under our Scheme to be recognised under other eco-labels.
As part of the Singapore Green Building Product (SGBP) certification process, applicants will need to have their product(s) independently tested and assessed by an accredited third-party testing laboratory. To reduce time and effort in identifying appropriate laboratories, SGBC works with a number of such testing laboratories that can provide the necessary testing and calibration services. These SGBC Lab Partners are familiar with the requirements of the SGBP and are also accredited by the Singapore Accreditation Council (SAC).
List of SGBC Lab Partners
- ALS Technichem (S) Pte Ltd – [email protected]
- Element Construction Testing (S) Pte Ltd – [email protected]
- Intertek Testing Services (Singapore) Pte Ltd – [email protected]
- OTM Solutions Pte Ltd – [email protected]
- R.A.K. Materials Consultants Pte Ltd – [email protected]
- Setsco Services Pte Ltd – [email protected]
- Singapore Test Lab Pte Ltd – [email protected]
- EUROFINS STATS ASIA PACIFIC PTE LTD – [email protected]
- TUV SUD PSB Pte Ltd – [email protected]
- UL Environment – [email protected]
Certification applicants can contact the SGBC Lab Partner directly and they will provide you with an official Quotation for Testing based on the applicable certification criteria for the corresponding product’s assessment.
Join us a SGBC Lab Partner
If you are a testing laboratory that can provide a range of product testing services not limited to Product U-Value, Acoustic Testing, Noise Emission Testing, Thermal Insulation Testing, etc., join us as a SGBC Lab Partner.
Once onboard, SGBC will direct Certification Applicants to SGBC Lab Partners to perform the necessary testing for their certifying product(s). The contact details of all SGBC Lab Partners are made available on this page.
To be a SGBC Lab Partner, you need to:
- Be a Corporate Member of SGBC
- Share with SGBC your available testing and related services
- Actively participate in SGBC Technical Work Groups
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the main difference between the BCA Green Mark scheme and the SGBP Certification Scheme?
- Green Mark certifications are administered by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) for building projects. The Singapore Green Building Council (SGBC) administers the Singapore Green Building Products (SGBP) certification scheme.
- Points will be awarded for products with SGBP certification. SGBP Certified Products are highly recognised under the Green Mark, allowing projects to accrue points towards a Green Mark rating.
- For more information, please contact [email protected]
2. I am looking for more information about a specific building product, but I am unable to find it in the public product directory. What does this mean?
- The SGBP Product Directory reflects real time information about the certified products. Therefore, if information about certain products are not listed on the directory, it indicates that the product does not have active certificate at the moment.
- However, these products could be undergoing the certification process.
- Please contact [email protected] for more information on products that might not be available on the product directory.
3. Do I need to be a SGBC corporate member to apply for the SGBP certification?
- No, you do not need to be a SGBC Corporate Member to apply for SGBP certification.
- However, SGBC Corporate Membership will allow for other marketing/ networking benefits for your company.
4. I am unable to login because I forgot my email or password, or the person who managed the account is no longer with us. What should I do?
- Please reach out to [email protected] with information of the representative’s name, email address, designation, company name, contact number and the company name.
5. My company is the manufacturer/ distributor of a product that has been SGBP certified under another company, does that certificate apply to my company as well?
- SGBP certificates are tied to the company that applies for them. The certificate will display only the applicant’s company name and is applicable solely to that organisation.
- Any other interested companies should apply for SGBP certification with us directly.
6. Can my company outsource the handling of the certification process to another company/ personnel? What documents do I need to provide?
- Yes, a company can outsource the handling of the certification process by providing us with a Letter of Authorisation, indicating the details of the company and personnel that will be assisting with the certification process.
7. Are companies not based in Singapore eligible to apply for SGBP certification?
- Yes. SGBP Certification is open to companies worldwide, and is not limited to Singapore-based companies.
8. My company has recently undergone an amalgamation/change in name. What documents do I need to provide to effect the necessary changes?
- Please contact [email protected] and provide relevant information of the change, along with the official business registration records of your company as supporting documentation.
1. What does the Singapore Green Building Product (SGBP) Certification Scheme cover and how does it work?
- The SGBP Certification Scheme is a certification for green building product, and evaluates the sustainability performance of these products based on scientific and engineering principles. It is a voluntary certification scheme with a tiered rating system of 1 to 4 ticks, where a higher tick rating indicates better sustainability performance.
- Please refer to the SGBP Product Directory for more information of the types of products that are certifiable under the SGBP certification scheme.
- Interested applicants may proceed to our online portal https://web.sgbc.online/ to submit an application and provide their product catalogue/ technical data sheet. There is no upfront cost or application fee to access or submit information through the online portal.
- The general certification process is as follows:
Submit application > Evaluation > Peer Review > Certification Decision > Invoice Issued and Payment > Acknowledgement of Mark User Agreement (MUA) > Issuance of Certificate
2. How long does the certification process take?
- The time taken to complete the certification process varies and depends on how well-prepared companies are with the required test reports and other documentary evidences.
- Our statistics currently indicate the following duration that companies take to compile and submit documents to fulfil certification criteria requirements:
- Average: 3.75 months
- Shortest: 1.5 weeks
- Longest: 1 year
3. How can I download or view the criteria for my product to know if i meet the criteria?
- To ensure that the criteria are kept up to date with the technological advances in the industry and to stay relevant to market needs, SGBC continuously reviews, make improvements and adjustments to the criteria.
- To prevent outdated criteria from being circulated, the criteria would not be shared publicly.
- The criteria of interest will be viewable on the portal to the applicant after SGBC accepts the application for products certification. You may proceed to our portal https://web.sgbc.online/ to begin your online application.
- Note that there would be no fees incurred should you decide not to proceed after viewing the criteria.
4. How long is the validity of a SGBP certificate? Can I extend the validity of my certificates?
- SGBP certificates are valid for two (2) years from the date of issuance and may be renewed for a period of two (2) years thereafter. There is no extension of validity period.
5. I am in the midst of preparing documents for submission and evaluation. What are some things to note when preparing these documents?
- SGBP certificates are valid for two (2) years from the date of issuance and may be renewed for a period of two (2) years thereafter. There is no extension of validity period.
6. When can we kickstart the renewal process of an existing SGBP Certificate, and how can we go about doing so?
- Applicants may only begin the renewal process 6 months before the date of expiry of the existing certificate.
- You may proceed to our portal: https://web.sgbc.online/ and go to Product Certification > Click Renew. If Renewal button is unavailable, please contact the certification team at [email protected].
- Renewal not completed within the 6 months period will be treated as New Application, and the relevant fees will apply.
7. I would like to change some details on the certificate (i.e. product name). What is the process and will there be additional charges?
- Please login to your company’s corporate account and submit an “Amendment of Scope” application.
- Please note that a cost of $200 (excluding overseas admin fee and prevailing GST) would be charged for the amendment of scope and this process will not change the validity period of the existing certificate.
- Additionally, while the old criteria used during the initial certification of your product will be used for the amendment of scope application, please note that there may be updates made to the current criteria. The updated criteria will be assigned to your product during the renewal process.
8. When do I make payment for my application?
- Payment will only be charged at the end of the certification process and when invoice has been issued. There is no upfront costs required to submit an application.
9. Does SGBC provide any express services for SGBP Certification?
- No, we do not provide any express services.
- Applications are evaluated on a first come, first served basis.
Manage certifications – apply, renew, and more – on the SGBC Certification Portal.
For more information on the SGBP certification scheme, contact the SGBC Sustainability Certification team at: [email protected]