Sustainable Development News South Africa

Dulux sponsors GBCSA's new head office

Dulux South Africa was one of the main sponsors of the 'greening' of the new head office of the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) at the Blackriver Park complex in Cape Town.
Dulux sponsors GBCSA's new head office

One of the founding and silver members of the GBCSA, Dulux provided its Ecosure range to be used in the building which the GBCSA aims to have certified under the new Green Star Commercial Interiors rating tool. This tool will be launched at the GBCSA's Green Building Convention in Cape Town from 16-18 October. The Ecosure range, which has low VOC characteristics and has been used in over half of the Green Star rated buildings in South Africa, proved to be ideal for the refurbishment of GBCSA's new head office building.

Selected colours from the Dulux Trade Light & Space range were used in the building. It is more reflective of light than conventional emulsions, thereby ultimately improving energy efficiency, and contributing to employee well-being. "The products used for the refurbishment were carefully selected to echo GBCSA's objective to lead the transformation of the South African property industry to environmental sustainability," said Mayan Desai, marketing manager at Dulux.

Environmental awareness

"We are very proud of our association with many of South Africa's Green Star rating buildings and will continue to focus on environmental awareness and responsibility in all projects that we participate in," Desai added. Starting off with just one tool and one certification in 2008, the GBCSA today has four tools and almost 40 certifications around the country.

"Dulux is a very committed member of our organisation and their sponsorship of the coatings for our building is indicative of their genuine commitment to green buildings and environmental responsibility," said CEO of the GBCSA, Brian Wilkinson. In addition to its 'green' product offerings, Dulux Trade also provides EnviroWash units on green building sites, encouraging contractors to embrace sustainable work practices. The unit prevents paint washings from running into waterways as it filters wastewater and lowers water usage for cleaning of brushes and rollers.

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