Let’s discuss how our GBCSA Membership and Low-VOC Expertise Deliver Competitive Advantages for Your Commercial Projects.
The South African commercial property landscape is experiencing a fundamental shift. Green Star certification has evolved from a nice-to-have differentiator to an essential requirement for attracting premium tenants and achieving optimal asset values. At the heart of this transformation lies a technical requirement that many project teams underestimate: the Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ-13) credit for Volatile Organic Compounds.
As a member of the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) since our early commitment to sustainable building practices, Prominent Paints has been at the forefront of this evolution. Today, we want to share why our approach to low-VOC paint solutions on some products, positions us as the strategic partner you need for Green Star certification success.
Understanding the IEQ Points Opportunity
The GBCSA’s IEQ-13 credit can deliver up to 2 points toward your Green Star score. This significant contribution can determine whether your project achieves a 4-star “Best Practice” or reaches the coveted 5-star “South African Excellence” benchmark. However, earning these points requires more than simply specifying compliant products.
Current GBCSA guidelines demand that 95% of all painted surfaces meet strict TVOC (Total Volatile Organic Compound) limits:
– Interior wall and ceiling paints (flat finish): 50 g/L maximum
– Interior wall and ceiling paints (gloss finish): 75 g/L maximum
– Interior sealers and primers: 100 g/L maximum
The challenge isn’t just meeting these thresholds—it’s coordinating compliance across entire project teams while maintaining the performance standards your commercial clients demand.
Our Competitive Advantage: Beyond Compliance
At Prominent Paints, our low-VOC products achieve levels well under the minimum requirements; significantly below GBCSA requirements. Our “Ecological Solutions®” philosophy reflects our commitment to developing products that are “kinder by design, kinder to the environment, and kinder to your health.”
This approach delivers three distinct advantages for your projects:
- Performance Security: Our formulations exceed minimum requirements, providing a buffer against regulatory changes and ensuring long-term compliance confidence.
- Health Benefits: Lower VOC emissions translate directly minimise the impact on indoor air quality, supporting tenant wellness initiatives and health benefits.
- Market Differentiation: Properties using our solutions can market superior environmental performance, attracting environmentally conscious tenants.
Why Documentation Matters—And How We Excel
Green Star certification success depends heavily on proper documentation. The GBCSA accepts multiple compliance pathways, but their technical clarifications explicitly reject informal documentation like website screenshots. This is where our systematic approach provides clear competitive advantages.
Our technical team provides comprehensive certification support across all GBCSA-accepted pathways such as third-party certification documentation through recognised schemes.
Additionally, we will work directly with you to advice on products that comply to GBCSA to ensure proper submission formatting and compliance verification.
The Professional Services Difference
Green Star projects require coordination that extends far beyond product supply. Our Professional Pact service model addresses this reality through integrated support that traditional suppliers cannot match:
- Preliminary Site Inspections: Our specialists assess your unique project conditions, considering drawings, buildings, environment, and location to optimise product selection and specification.
- Technical Specification Documents: We provide tailored specification documents that integrate optimal products, paint systems, and colour choices with Green Star compliance requirements.
- Regular Site Evaluations: Throughout construction, we track project processes and compile detailed site reports covering surface preparation, systems used, moisture content, and compliance with paint specifications.
- Final Site Inspections: Our third-party independent assessors produce comprehensive quality assurance reports. Upon project completion, Prominent Paints provides paint film warranties as per the specification provided.
This integrated approach addresses a critical market gap. Research highlighted by the GBCSA indicates “generally very low awareness” of indoor air quality importance among South African building operators. Our comprehensive support ensures your projects benefit from our expertise while building internal capabilities for future developments.
Market Leadership Through Innovation
Our commitment to Green Star excellence reflects broader industry leadership across multiple dimensions:
- Quality Systems: Our complete product range is manufactured to strict SABS ISO 9001:2015 quality standards, with our High Performance, Premium, and Select ranges backed by quality warranties of 15 years, 12 years, and 7 years, respectively.
- Environmental Leadership: Beyond VOC compliance, all our products are environmentally friendly, and complies to the South African legal lead limit of 90 ppm or less; positioning your projects ahead of evolving regulatory requirements.
- Technical Innovation: Our recent launch of the revolutionary Neuklad Range demonstrates ongoing investment in advanced coating technologies that deliver both performance and environmental benefits.
- Comprehensive Solutions: Unlike suppliers focused on individual products, we provide complete system compatibility across primers, base coats, and topcoats.
The Business Case for Partnership
Choosing Prominent Paints for your Green Star projects delivers measurable business advantages that extend beyond certification compliance:
- Risk Mitigation: Our comprehensive warranties, third-party quality assurance, and systematic documentation processes minimise project risks and support successful certification outcomes.
- Time Efficiency: Our integrated approach eliminates coordination gaps between product specification, compliance documentation, and quality assurance—streamlining project delivery timelines.
- Cost Optimisation: While our products may carry premium pricing, the integrated services, reduced risk, and accelerated project timelines typically deliver superior total project value.
- Market Positioning: Properties featuring our solutions can legitimately claim environmental leadership, supporting marketing initiatives and tenant attraction strategies.
Future-Proofing Your Investments
The regulatory landscape continues evolving rapidly. South Africa’s recent implementation of 90 ppm lead limits (effective May 2025, with labelling requirements from May 2026) exemplifies accelerating environmental scrutiny of coating products.
Our proactive approach to regulatory development ensures that projects using our solutions remain compliant as requirements evolve. More importantly, our ongoing investment in formulation development and environmental technology positions us to support increasingly sophisticated sustainability requirements.
Supporting Your Green Star Journey
Recent market developments demonstrate the growing importance of environmental compliance in commercial property development. Tenant wellness priorities, regulatory requirements, and investor Environmental, Social Governance (ESG) criteria are converging to make Green Star certification increasingly essential rather than optional.
At Prominent Paints, we understand that successful Green Star certification requires more than compliant products—it demands systematic coordination, comprehensive documentation, and ongoing technical support throughout project delivery.
Our GBCSA membership reflects our commitment to South African green building leadership. Our product portfolio provides the performance and compliance security your projects require. Our Professional Pact service model delivers the integrated support that traditional suppliers cannot match.
Taking the Next Step
If your next commercial project is targeting Green Star certification, or if you’re evaluating suppliers who can support your sustainability objectives, we invite you to experience the Prominent Paints difference.
Contact our Green Star technical team to discuss your project’s IEQ requirements. We’ll provide a comprehensive analysis of your compliance needs, recommend optimal product solutions, and demonstrate how our integrated services can streamline your certification process while delivering superior project outcomes.
In South Africa’s evolving commercial property market, Green Star certification increasingly determines competitive success. With Prominent Paints as your partner, you can be confident that your paint specification decisions support both certification achievement and long-term asset performance.
Ready to discuss your Green Star requirements?
Contact our Professional Services team at customercare@www.prominentpaints.co.za or call 0861 77 66 46 to arrange your complimentary site inspection and technical consultation.
Prominent Paints has been a member of the Green Building Council of South Africa since our early commitment to sustainable building practices. Our low-VOC products conform to Green Star Council, with VOC content below GBCSA thresholds. Learn more about our environmental solutions at www.www.prominentpaints.co.za.