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The Brazilian Council of Sustainable Construction (Conselho Brasileiro de Construção, CBCS) have recently launched a new online tool that enables users to verify suppliers for their adherence to issues and principles related to sustainability and the environment.

According to Vanderley John , coordinator of the materials committee and lead councilor: ‘the expectation is that the sector will be able to reach new levels in quality whilst also minimising the consumption of natural resources, environmental degradation and the negative effects of construction.’

The organisation – in conjunction with the Association of Material Manufacturers (Associação de Fabricantes de Materials, ABRAMAT), the Urban Development Company of São Paulo (Companhia de Desenvolvimento Urbano de São Paulo, CDHU) and the PINI Web Magazine – has developed a six staged process for users to follow:

1)      Company verification of the supplier / manufacturer (verificação da formalidade da empresa fabricante e fornecedora):  ensuring the company is fully registered with Brazil’s main tax authority, the Receita Federal;

2)      Verification of the presence of an environmental licence (verificação da licença ambiental): ensuring the company adheres to necessary obligations;

3)      Verification with regards to social issues (verificação das questões sociais): checking that the company operates ethically including confirming there is no existence of child labour, hygiene levels are good and working days are reasonable in length;

4) Verification of quality and technical norms of the product (qualidade e normas técnicas do produto): meeting the standards of the Brazilian Programme of Habitational Quality and Productivity (Programa Brasileiro da Qualidade e Produtividade do Habitat, PBQP-H);

5)      Social / environmental responsibility checks (consultar o perfil de responsabilidade socioambiental): ensuring companies are operating consciously with a positive wider impact;

6)      Identification of the existence of false advertising (identificar a existência de propaganda enganosa): ensuring that any stated product features related to environmental friendliness are true in reality.