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Valued Environmental Attributes

Valued environmental attributes refer to the important components, functions, processes and/or aspects of a natural ecosystem, human health, and environmental welfare that are considered to be at risk from human activities or natural hazards. 

Vapour Recovery

Vapour recovery refers to the process of capturing the volatile gases from gasoline or other fuels, to prevent their release into the atmosphere.  The chemical process industry also uses vapour recovery systems to remove and capture vapours from storage tanks.

Variable speed drive (VSD)

A variable speed drive (VSD) is an electronic control device that regulates the speed and rotational force (torque output) of an electric motor.  VSD installations can reduce energy consumption, improve power factor and process precision, and other performance benefits.  By increasing energy efficiency, VSD technology provides a significant reduction of electricity use and associated carbon dioxide emissions globally each year.

Vegan Action

Vegan Action works toward reducing animal suffering and minimising environmental impact whilst improving human health. The Vegan Action certification can be found on a number of products from the US and Canada.

Vegan Self Certified - Sustainability Standard

Vegan is a sustainability standard that an trader might claim.

Vegan products are completely plant derived. Vegan products fall in line with vegan principles, which abstain from the use of animal products in both diet and lifestyle. Traders who are committed to veganism believe that animals should not be killed for the use of humans – to be eaten, worn or used as part of furniture or construction.

Vegetative Controls

Vegetative controls refer to the use of vegetation cover to reduce soil erosion and minimises the loss of pollutants.  Vegetation effectively reduces soil erosion by protecting the soil surface from the impact of rainfall and runoff, diffusing and decreasing the rate of surface flow, limiting soil movement, improving the soil's structure and porosity, and increasing soil moisture storage capacity. 

Vehicle Emissions

The term vehicle emissions refers to the by-products that are produced by transport vehicles such as cars, buses and trucks.  Road vehicles are a major producer of greenhouse gas emissions, and contribute to the air pollution and smog found in urban environments.


Ventilation refers to the process of replacing stale or noxious air in any space with fresh air to improve indoor air quality.  The ventilation process may include temperature control, replenishing oxygen, removing unpleasant smells or moisture, removing smoke and dust, and improving indoor air circulation to prevent stagnation of the interior air.


Vermicomposting or worm farming refers to the process of using a worm farm and worms, such as red worms or tiger worms, to break down organic material including fruit and vegetable scraps, tea bags and coffee grounds, and plant materials.  The final product of vermicomposting is vermicast (worm castings) and worm wee, both of which can be applied to plants and soil to promote healthy vegetation.

Victorian Energy Efficiency Certificates (VEECs)

Victorian Energy Efficiency Certificates (VEECs) are electronic certificates that are created in agreement with the Victorian Energy Target Act (2007) and Victorian Energy Efficiency Target Regulations (2008). VEECs are designed to encourage households, commercial business and industries to uptake energy efficient technology, to help achieve the Victorian government’s target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Vintage Self Certified - Sustainability Standard

Vintage is a sustainability standard that an trader might claim. 

Vintage items, generally clothing are items that are pre-loved and have been made in another generation. Vintage items are generally at least 20 years old.

Virgin Materials

Virgin materials refer to resources that are sourced directly from nature such as wood, steel, aluminium, copper, glass, and petroleum for plastics.  Producing goods from virgin materials requires more energy than manufacturing goods from recycled materials due to the energy required to extract, process, and transport the virgin materials.  This results in greater levels of greenhouse gas emissions being produced. 

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are organic chemical compounds with a high vapour pressure and low water solubility.  The term VOC encompasses a range of carcinogens such as benzene, toluene, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), halons, formaldehyde, carbon tetrachloride and some pesticides.  VOCs are found in many products including paints, finishes, cleaning agents, adhesives, building board and composite timber, fabric dressing, some carpets and vinyl.

Volume Reduction

Volume reduction refers to the processing of waste materials to reduce the amount of space they occupy by means of composting, compacting, shredding, or incineration.

Voluntary Emission Reductions (VERs)

Voluntary emission reductions or verified emission reductions (VERs) refer to a type of carbon credit sold in the voluntary market to organisations that wish to offset their carbon emissions.  VERs are created and verified outside of the Kyoto protocol under voluntary certification standards, with one VER representing one tonne of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent).  VERs are produced from technological and industrial processes that reduce greenhouse gas emissions such as solar power, biomass electricity, windfarm technology, hydropower, and electricity or heat production from methane. 

Voluntary Market

The voluntary market refers to businesses and organisations that are not legally required to reduce or offset their carbon emissions, but choose to do so for reasons such as leadership, corporate social responsibility, and for marketing or branding purposes.  The voluntary market includes both suppliers and buyers of carbon offsets, which can take the form of Voluntary Emission Reductions (VERs), or Registered Emission Reductions (RERs), or REDDs (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation).

Voluntary Surrender

Voluntary surrender refers to the owner of a registered Small-scale Technology Certificate (STC) or Large-scale Generation Certificate (LGC) surrendering these certificates on a voluntary basis.  Voluntarily surrendering certificates may encourage the additional generation of renewable energy, a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, opportunities to meet GreenPower obligations, additional installations of solar water heaters and small generation units, and philanthropic measures.