Getting Your Products Ready for the ESG Tsunami

If you feel like sustainability reporting and annualised carbon data has gone from a gentle ripple to a tidal wave in the past year, you’re not imagining it. New disclosure rules, bigger investor demands, and customers who want proof not promises – it’s all crashing onto the desks of manufacturers right now.

For building product suppliers, it’s no longer enough to tick a Green Star box and call it a day. The market wants credible carbon data, transparent supply chains, and a story that actually stands up. Welcome to the ESG tsunami.

So, I (Esther Bailey, COO of Rebuilt) grabbed a surfboard and sat down with Josh Begbie, CEO of GECA, to talk about what’s really going on, where the biggest pain points lie, and how suppliers can ride this wave instead of getting dumped.

What’s changed in the last 12 months?

Esther: Josh, it feels like sustainability reporting has gone through a growth spurt on steroids. What’s shifted?
Josh: You’re absolutely right. A year ago, many businesses were focused on their own direct emissions – what’s happening inside their four walls. Now, climate disclosure rules are forcing companies to look outwards, at everything they purchase, lease, and contract. That means suppliers are suddenly on the hook too.

This shift has cranked up the volume of reporting requirements, and in some cases, pushed organisations back into “box-ticking” mode. The risk is that the bigger the spreadsheet, the less attention goes to actually cutting carbon. My biggest concern is we end up with a reporting arms race where companies spend millions proving compliance and very little driving impact.

The ESG tsunami – hype or real?

Esther: Everyone’s talking about the “ESG tsunami.” Is this just buzz, or is there really a wave headed for manufacturers?
Josh: It’s no buzzword. The ESG tsunami is already forming offshore and it’s moving fast. Think about it:

• Investors are demanding consistent, verifiable sustainability data to manage financial risk.
• Regulators are setting hard disclosure deadlines that will soon apply to thousands of companies.
• Customers – from developers to government procurement teams – are insisting on proof, not marketing spin.

The tricky bit for manufacturers is that each of these groups speaks a slightly different language. What satisfies investors doesn’t always satisfy regulators, and what excites a procurement officer isn’t necessarily aligned with ESG frameworks. Cutting through that noise is the real challenge.

The pain points

Esther: If I’m a supplier, where’s it going to hurt most?
Josh: Right now, it’s a double squeeze.

First, mandatory carbon disclosure is becoming non-negotiable. To stay in the supply chain, manufacturers need credible, transparent embodied carbon data – and that’s where Product Carbon Footprints (PCFs) are essential. PCFs give you the verified numbers that hold up to scrutiny.

Second, customers are raising the bar beyond carbon. They’re asking: who made this? How is it managed at end-of-life? What’s the social impact of the supply chain? So manufacturers are having to prove carbon performance and demonstrate broader ESG credentials at the same time.

The hard part is resourcing it all. Most suppliers don’t have a team of sustainability analysts ready to crank out reports. That’s why the solutions need to be affordable, practical, and designed to serve both markets – compliance and customer expectations – without draining every cent.

Green Star in the bigger ESG picture

Esther: Green Star has been a powerful driver for better products in Australia. With ESG and disclosure requirements accelerating, how does it fit into this bigger landscape?
Josh: Green Star continues to set the bar in the built environment. It’s a trusted signal for developers and procurement teams, and it’s not going away. What’s shifting is that Green Star credits are now one piece of a much larger puzzle.

Corporate reporting teams are looking across a broader canvas – mandatory carbon disclosures, investor ESG frameworks, supply chain transparency. For manufacturers, the smartest play is to make sure the data and certifications they use for Green Star can also support these wider expectations.

That’s what makes the collaboration between GECA and Rebuilt so exciting. We’re helping manufacturers hit their Green Star targets while also delivering the verified carbon data and ESG credentials that boards, investors, and customers are demanding. It’s about getting maximum value from every certification dollar, across every audience that matters.

The balancing act

Esther: Okay, so I’m a manufacturer – how do I juggle all this without losing the plot?
Josh: The key is to avoid seeing carbon and ESG as separate checklists. They’re two halves of the same coin.

Rebuilt’s PCFs deliver the hard data: carbon numbers that stand up in disclosure reports, investor briefings, and regulatory audits. GECA’s ecolabel delivers the holistic story: ethical supply chains, non-toxicity, recyclability, circularity, social impact. Put them together, and you’ve got a package that ticks compliance boxes while also building a compelling sustainability narrative.

It’s like having both a passport and a storybook – you can get through the border checks, and you can win over the audience when you arrive.

Compliance creep

Esther: Everyone’s worried about compliance creep. What happens if the rules just keep stacking higher?
Josh: That’s the risk – and it’s real. If compliance costs rise in proportion to disclosure requirements, we’ll have manufacturers spending their best minds and biggest budgets on reporting instead of product innovation.

The smarter path is to bundle and streamline compliance. That’s what happens when you pair carbon data with ecolabel certification – you cover multiple requirements in one go, at a lower cost. If we don’t take this approach, we risk a future where the reporting tail wags the sustainability dog.

For the overwhelmed

Esther: Final question – what’s your pep talk for the manufacturers already drowning?
Josh: Start small, but start now. The ESG tsunami isn’t something you can surf at the last minute.

• Get verifiable carbon data in place – it’s your ticket to stay in the supply chain.
• Layer in certification to show leadership and credibility.
• Don’t overthink the whole journey on day one – take the first steps and build momentum.

If you wait until reporting becomes mandatory for everyone, you’ll already be behind. The manufacturers who move early will win the trust of investors, customers, and regulators – and they’ll be the ones shaping the new normal.

Esther’s take

Here’s the thing: the ESG tsunami is already here. You can treat it like a threat, or you can grab your board and ride it. Manufacturers that combine credible carbon data with holistic certification will be the ones catching the best waves.

At Rebuilt, we’re obsessed with making that ride accessible. ISO-verified PCFs you can afford, paired with GECA’s ecolabel, gives you the least-cost path to compliance – and the most powerful story for your customers and investors.

This is where the market is heading: fewer empty claims, more proof. Less red tape, more results. Together with GECA, we’re making it possible for manufacturers to stop chasing the wave and start leading it.

Ready to ride the ESG tsunami? Find out more at rebuilt.eco.