CPR and the Future of Construction

CPR and the Future of Construction

The new Construction Products Regulation #CPR will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) in the coming days, marking a significant shift in the way products are marketed and assessed in the European Union. With a strong emphasis on #digitalisation and #sustainability, the CPR aims to enhance transparency and traceability of products, while ensuring they meet the highest environmental standards. This change will impact the entire value chain, from manufacturers to end users.

The new #ConstructionProductsRegulation (CPR) establishes a framework for the marketing of products, with the Declaration of Performance and Conformity (DoPC) as the main document of the new #CEmarking. This will allow manufacturers to specify the new essential characteristics of their products in accordance with the new harmonised European standards (EN). Thanks to this amendment, which fixes the current regulation to facilitate free movement in the internal market, products will be assessed and certified according to uniform technical criteria, ensuring their safety and performance.

Looking back, the current CPR replaced the Construction Products Directive (CPD Directive 89/106/EEC) in 2013, which brought about a significant change in the way construction products were marketed and assessed. Under the CPD, national regulations prevailed, creating both commercial and technical barriers between member countries. CPR (EU) 305/2011 introduced a common and binding technical language at European level, facilitating the Declaration of Performance (DoP) and CE marking of all products under this regulation. This change also reduced duplication of product testing and increased transparency across the EU.

The CPR (305/2011/EU), in force since 2013, will enter a new phase in November 2024 to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable and digitalised sector, in line with the objectives of the Green Deal and within the European strategy to promote the circular economy.

Importantly, the market will need to anticipate a transition period. The EU timetable foresees a staggered implementation of the change in CE marking for the different families of construction materials until 2036, so that two types of CE marking will co-exist: the current DoP with the new Digital Product Passport #DPP, which will include the DoPC. During this period, it will be important to minimise the impact of double information for companies through regular and recurrent training and information.

The main challenges facing the sector: digitalisation and sustainability

The changes to the CPR, which will come into force in November 2024, respond to the growing need for sustainability and digitalisation in the sector. The industry has been under pressure to reduce its carbon footprint, improve material traceability and optimise efficiency in the value chain. These reforms expand sustainability requirements, integrate life cycle analysis (LCA) and environmental criteria into the declaration of performance and conformity, and facilitate digitisation through the digital product passport to promote greater transparency.

This change will also affect the way companies communicate with their customers, suppliers and regulators. The ability to integrate systems will be essential to ensure the smooth and efficient exchange of information. Companies will need to ensure that their management systems are compatible with international standards, which will allow their products to be effectively connected to digital environments such as BIM, facilitating their integration into pan-European projects.

The impact of the new CPR

The new CPR will have an impact in many areas.  Firstly, it will bring about significant changes in both new construction and renovation. According to a study by McKinsey & Company, it is estimated that by 2030 digitalisation in construction could increase productivity by 15-20% and reduce operating costs by up to 7%. In the area of housing renovation, the Joint Research Centre estimates that more than 35% of homes in the EU will need to be renovated to meet sustainability targets by 2050. The new CPR will provide environmental information for assessment at the building level, contributing to Green Deal targets.

The need for change in the construction sector is inevitable. Working environments such as Building Information Modelling (BIM) improve the management of product and system data throughout the lifecycle of buildings. This will facilitate traceability and tracking of technical and sustainability performance at the building level, removing the reliance on physical documents. To achieve this, companies will need to comply with new digital standards and the Digital Product Passport (DPP) will play a key role, digitising the information in the current Environmental Product Declaration #EPD and integrating environmental impact assessment into these collaborative digital systems.

All of these issues will have a profound impact, not only on information management, but also on the internal workings of companies in the sector. In order to structure this transition, a cultural change will be essential, prioritising sustainability as a pillar of business strategy. In addition, internal management processes will need to be transformed, requiring significant efforts in terms of digitisation, resources and structural adjustments. Some companies, such as URSA, have been working in this direction for some time, but it is undeniable that this evolution will be a revolution for the entire sector.

The new CPR will not only benefit companies, but also users. Not only will we be working towards sustainability, but transparency and traceability will help to improve the safety and quality of construction materials, so that we can live and work in safer, more durable and, above all, more efficient buildings.

Author: Silvia Herranz, Sustainability & Technical Manager Europe & Iberia en URSA

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