Construction Products Reform Green Paper – a step change for the sector
The Construction Products Reform Green Paper is set to bring a step change around safety, testing, information, and sustainability requirements not only for construction product manufacturers, but throughout the supply chain.
The Green Paper consultation closes on Wednesday, 21 May, and forms part of the government response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 2 Report and the Morrell-Day Independent Review of the Construction Product Testing Regime.
Its proposals include system-wide reform for the sector as well as the regulatory regime governing it, to ensure safe products enter the marketplace.
Saint-Gobain Weber already subjects its products to the higher standards that the Paper seeks to establish in the construction sector. As well as a strict testing and certification process, we place a huge emphasis on driving innovation and weaving sustainability into all we do.
For Weber, this makes the Green Paper a positive step in the right direction that will help to drive and benchmark standards across the whole sector.
UK and EU regulations and enforcement
A key consideration in the Green Paper is a closer alignment between UK and EU regulations, in light of the EU adoption of its new Construction Product Regulations.
From a Weber perspective, this is an important change, ensuring that safe products and growth remain the central objectives, and that any differences can be accounted for. It must avoid leaving gaps and ensure the regime can work in practice.
Enhanced powers are proposed for the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) and National Regulator for Construction Products (NRCP) to improve transparency and oversight. The Regulator’s enforcement powers had already been strengthened through the Building Safety Act 2022 and Construction Products Regulations 2022. However, the Paper looks to improve coordination across regulatory bodies involved in the entire construction process and enforce product requirements based on the safety risk associated with them.
Weber broadly welcomes the proposals but is urging a pragmatic, risk-based approach around audits for testing, risk assessment and compliance. For those companies already undertaking a strict testing regime, the concern is that a considerable increase in the number of audits would absorb capacity for both the regulator and manufacturer.
Compliance with standards
Mandatory compliance will be required for products already falling under designated standards within the new proposals, with penalties for non-compliance.
All products – even those not currently regulated or falling under designated standards – will need to be risk assessed by construction product manufacturers prior to going to market. This is to prevent the use of sub-standard materials in renovation projects and new builds.
There is a danger that fully compliant, risk-assessed products might be used alongside substandard products in construction projects. As a product manufacturer, we can never be sure that applicators, installers or contractors use the components we recommend. If, for example, there is an issue with supply, there remains a possibility that replacement parts may not comply or be subjected to the same rigour in testing and accreditation.
Measures that provide increased confidence in risk assessment and compliance across the whole construction product landscape are a positive step, giving Weber reassurance of a safer overall environment.
Greater product information
Another key purpose of the reform is to improve product information for users and stakeholders, making it clearer and more accessible while closing a ‘critical gap in availability and accessibility of product information’. Misleading product information is a clear target, with penalties for manufacturers promoting it.
The Code for Construction Product Information (CCPI), highlighted within the Paper, is an industry initiative aiming to drive higher standards in accuracy and presentation of construction product information, to improve safety standards.
Our work to adopt the CCPI is currently progressing at Weber, with a cross-departmental team consisting of product managers, marketing and technical experts working to help make things even clearer for our customers and ensure we are as transparent as possible.
The Green Paper continues existing discussions around digital product passports to give real-time access to composition, hazard, and safety data. Expected to arrive in 2028, they should enhance transparency across the supply chain and improve traceability.
Weber is currently at the stage of inventory analysis towards the creation of our digital product passports. However, we urge the government to give clear guidance and clarity on how these regulations will align with the EU Construction Products Regulation (CPR) and what will be required as early as possible, to aid planning.
Testing rigour
Proposals in the Paper include mandatory minimum standards for all third-party certification schemes, increasing oversight of conformity assessment bodies (CABs) via regular audits and inspections.
CABs will continue undertaking testing and certification and will be assessed and licensed by the national regulator, with a statutory code of conduct introduced alongside a requirement for mandatory reporting. It also explores whether conformity assessment outside the UK should be recognised.
While the CE mark will continue to be recognised as a way to remove trade friction and protect the UK internal market, views are also being sought on UKCA.
At Weber, we subject our products to rigorous testing to guarantee strength, durability, and performance in real-world conditions.
Strict protocols mean tests are conducted both in-house and with third-party laboratories to verify results. This ensures that products meet and exceed British and European standards (BS EN standards), materials perform under extreme conditions, and end users get reliable, high-performance solutions that stand the test of time.
Our process includes stringent in-house lab testing under controlled conditions before application trials to see how the product performs. External testing and verification with accredited third-party test houses validate performance, including fire testing to meet safety regulations. Following this, quality control continues in-house before the product reaches the market, testing it to strict specification limits.
Innovating new products
While larger construction product manufacturers may have more time and resources to invest in development and innovation, there is often less capacity to deliver this activity in SMEs – especially micro-organisations.
Weber is involved with Saint-Gobain’s Innovation Catalysts, which bring together different people from across the business to spark innovation and run workshops. Typically, these groups tackle market problems or opportunities and create solutions through new product development.
There is always room for more innovation – especially in the construction sector – and proposals for greater government involvement to support businesses that want to develop their creativity should be welcomed.
Sustainability and circularity
With the emphasis on Carbon Net Zero, the Paper also proposes clear sustainability criteria for products to adhere to, with life cycle assessments (LCAs) and support for the circular economy embedded into regulations.
As yet, it is not clear whether this will become a mandatory requirement.
Regardless of this, Weber will continue working to deliver more product LCAs and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) across our products, because this is simply the right thing to do. So far, we are the first manufacturer in the UK to establish EPDs across our range of monocouche renders.
More detail on the definitions of sustainable materials and a standardised view of LCAs would be beneficial, alongside clarity on the regulations it will be contained within.
