Gulf Green Mark – environmental product declaration (EPD) system, an initiative of Qatar-based Gulf Organisation for Research and Development (Gord) will promote the products and materials for the construction industry with the declared environmental footprints over their life cycle.
The EPD system is managed by Gord and supported by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy. It contains quantified and verified data that can be used in the assessment of the environmental performance of buildings and their component materials. 
According to a senior Gord official, the Gulf Green Mark is expected to play an important role in the framework of GSAS (global sustainability assessment system), the sustainable building certification system developed for the GCC countries.
“We are following very stringent measures to provide the Green Gulf Mark to products. It might take very long period for companies to get this mark as the products have to pass through several strict procedures,” said Dr Yousef al-Horr, founding chairman, Gord.
According to the official, the objective of the programme is to encourage demand and supply of the products and services that cause less stress on the environment. “The products have to provide verifiable and accurate information that is not misleading on environmental aspects of the products and services. EPD can be used by various stakeholders to make informed choices about the products that they specify and procure,” he added.
The Gulf Green Mark is a step towards better environment friendly products and services as it enables more efficient material production, substitution of high impact materials, sustainable procurement and more efficient use of materials throughout their life cycle.
It is internationally compliant, relevant to the GCC region, and has a life cycle approach with rigorous and transparent principles. It is based on the ISO and European Standards and is very relevant to the GCC and the Mena region. 
The system can be applied on all products and different stages of their life and allows a purchaser to compare the environmental performance of products in the context of their use on resources consumption.
Gord recently held a meeting of the GCC subcommittee for the green building specifications. There were discussions on developing the frameworks for green materials and products. At the meeting, two companies from Qatar became the first to be awarded the Green Gulf Mark.
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