Digital production information & traceability: What the Construction Products Reform means for industry

BWF Technical Director Kevin Underwood examines what the government’s Construction Products Reform could mean for manufacturers, suppliers and specifiers across the woodworking and joinery sector

With digital product information and traceability set to become central features of the new regime, businesses will need to understand how requirements may differ between products covered by the CPR route and those falling under the proposed General Safety Requirement (GSR).

In this article, I’ll explain why robust, structured product data will be essential to support compliance, safer decision-making and the golden thread, while outlining the likely timetable for implementation.

The government’s Construction Products Reform White Paper, published in February, sets out its plans to reform the construction products regulatory framework through a risk-based and proportionate regime that prioritises safety.

Under the proposed reforms, all construction products will be regulated through one of two routes:

• A) Products covered by a designated standard or technical assessment will follow the Construction Products Regulation (CPR) route; or

• B) Products not covered by a designated standard or technical assessment will be subject to a new General Safety Requirement (GSR) route.

A key part of the reforms is the traceability of construction products and the provision of enhanced product information in digital form. The ability to trace products throughout all phases of their lifecycle – from design and manufacture through to installation, use and disposal – is needed to ensure accountability.

Product traceability enables corrective action to be taken and supports enforcement, market surveillance and consumer safety. Digital labelling, unique identifiers and more comprehensive

product information should be adopted in ways that support the golden thread and improve product traceability throughout the whole lifecycle.

The table below shows the type of product information that’s expected to be made available under both the CPR and GSR routes.

Construction products and the associated product information have a key role to play in a digitalised built environment sector. Common, structured approaches to creating and sharing digital construction product information will be important in enabling data to be shared between building information systems and other IT systems.

There’s a substantial amount of work ongoing across industry and government to create the appropriate data structures, templates, supporting standards, processes and tools needed to allow well-functioning information flows, which support safe decision-making.

There’s also a parallel programme of work in the EU, including the development of the infrastructure to support Digital Product Passports (DPPs). The government states that it will continue to work with industry to progress a standardised approach to digital construction product data.

In the White Paper, the government sets out its roadmap for implementing these new requirements as follows.

Tranche 1: Regulations covering products subject to designated standards & technical assessments

The government will introduce legislation to provide market surveillance and enforcement powers in Northern Ireland, in line with the Windsor Framework. This will be followed by legislation for products covered by designated standards and technical assessments, in a way that’s consistent with the new EU CPR.

This will ultimately replace the existing 2011 CPR regulations. The government’s intention is that these obligations will enter into force at the same time as the General Safety Requirement.

Tranche 2: Regulations covering products not subject to designated standards & technical assessments

The government aims to introduce regulations covering the General Safety Requirement (GSR), using powers under the Building Safety Act 2022, by the end of 2026, with the intention of bringing them into force in late 2027. This will allow manufacturers and other parties to plan for compliance.

The government will publish guidance, including examples of good practice, ahead of the measures coming into force. For further information on this topic, see www.bwf.org.uk.