Could digital product passports be the motivation the manufacturing sector needs?
We’re writing this post in the week the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 Report was published, but we’ve been writing about Grenfell and its implications for construction product information for six years now. Has anything changed, and might there be an opportunity to enable the change we need?
Where it began
When Dame Judith Hackitt published her interim report on the building safety regime in December 2017, she first coined the phrase ‘Golden Thread’.[i]
The Product Data Working Group was set up the following month, to help explore and articulate our concerns about the management of construction product information, in the experience of professionals in the industry.
The report we produced, “A Fresh Way Forward for Product Data: State of the Nation”, was published in 2018. It explained how construction product information does not travel through the construction supply chain and made suggestions for how that might change.
Nothing has changed
Looking at the report six years later, we don’t feel that there has been any significant progress since 2018 in the field of construction product information management. Our recently published research of manufacturer’s views only served to reinforce that view.
None of the initiatives that involve the manufacturing sector have come to fruition. There has been plenty of effort, lots of noise, but very little to show for it. We might consider all this unproductive effort to be a poor investment of the valuable time of good people with good motives.
Why no change?
We received a very strong response to the research that we published in July, which showed that digitisation is not a priority for manufacturers, and they don’t really understand what it is.
Construction professionals outside of manufacturing seemed genuinely surprised and even shocked at the lack of digitisation and the lack of awareness.
The prevailing narrative is that we are making progress, so it was probably surprising for many to discover that the construction product manufacturing sector isn’t on top of digitisation.
But the fact is that it isn’t, and neither is the rest of the construction industry.
Are you part of the problem?
The failure to recognise the issue of information management in the construction industry is a major obstacle to progress.
Leaders in key organisations who ignore this are part of the problem. After the Grenfell Phase 2 report, it’s crucial for leaders to reevaluate their approach.
Admitting the need for change isn’t a weakness, it’s essential, as lives are at stake. Leaders who acknowledge the problem can drive positive change, but they must recognize that current practices are insufficient.
If your understanding of information management is limited, it’s time to seek help and improve.
Change is inevitable, ignoring it is a choice.
What might drive change?
Without a clear business case or a requirement, for manufacturers to structure their product information so it can be traced through the supply chain, perhaps via regulation or by commercial imperative, the construction industry’s dysfunctional relationship with product information is unlikely to change.
In these circumstances, perhaps we need to look outside of our current environment to disruptors to create the incentive.
When Tesla introduced electric cars onto the UK automotive market, it created a huge stir which resulted in other carmakers completely changing their business model and abandoning a century-old technology in the space of a little over ten years. At our Industry Voices event in 2022, Bal Ahir, Head of Strategy at Audi UK explained the experience. You can read a little about this in the report here.
Is there a similarly disruptive event that might drive change in construction? We think that Digital Product Passports are such an opportunity.
What are Digital Product Passports?
The EU Digital Product Passport is an initiative aimed at tracking detailed information about products throughout their lifecycle. It will store data on a product’s materials, sustainability, repairability and recycling options, accessible through a digital platform.
The goal is to improve transparency and accountability in manufacturing, consumption and disposal.
Most importantly, digital product passports will require manufacturers to structure their data in order to trade in the EU. This could be the motivator we need.
Benefits of Digital Product Passports
Digital Product Passports aim to
- Promote circular economy practices (including reuse, repair and recycling of products, systems and assemblies),
- Help consumers make informed choices,
- Support sustainable production and reduce waste, and
- Ensure compliance with EU environmental and regulatory standards.
However the digital product passport initiative will also be an opportunity to drive building safety because it will create the naming and identification element of construction products which was one of our recommendations way back in 2018.
The European Commission sees it as “an important tool to making information available to actors along the entire value chain” that “is expected to significantly enhance end-to-end traceability of a product throughout its value chain”.[ii]
Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR)
Digital product passports are being brought in to support the new Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) and the revised Construction Product Regulation (CPR) in the EU.
The EU Digital Product Passport will support compliance information. It will include data related to legal and regulatory requirements, such as environmental and safety standards that products must meet within the EU.
By centralising this compliance information, the passport will make it easier for manufacturers, authorities and consumers to verify that products adhere to EU laws on sustainability, safety and environmental impact.
This passport is considered key to ensuring products meet the EU’s regulatory framework and supporting better transparency, monitoring and enforcement of those rules.
Beware of companies offering Digital Product Passports
DPPs are quickly becoming the buzzword of the day, but there is a risk that like BIM objects, manufacturers could be misled into spending a lot of money on something that doesn’t deliver. You only need to google ‘digital product passports’ to see a plethora of commercial entities keen to part you from your money.
It is important to recognize that EU digital product passports do not yet exist. Be aware when you are approached by salespeople offering them – it’s too early. The system framework has not yet been established so please don’t make any rash investment decisions.
The UK and Digital Product Passports
Without Digital Product Passports, UK based construction product manufacturers will not be able to trade with the EU. A prerequisite of placing products on the EU market will be to have an EU Digital Product Passport for them in place.
The European Commission is financing CEN[iii] workshop agreements (CWA) and contributing towards standard committees, and the international community is reaching out to the Commission to be involved. What is more, there is a legal requirement on the European industry to work in open dialogue with international partners in order to take on board their views and help remove trade barriers. Canada, US, Australia are talking to the European Commission and the UK is now involved as well, but it could be a more significant participant.
In addition, the International Standards Organisation (ISO) is now looking to engage to develop a joint programme on international standards for Digital product Passports.
Patricia Massey, a member of the Plain Language Group, is at the forefront of the development of the European Digital Product Passport (DPP) framework, representing the UK in various key committees. She is an active member of BSI’s E-Commerce Committee (IST/47/-/3), the National Mirror Group and CEN/CLC JTC 24. In her role within the Strategic Advisory Group (SAG) for the DPP framework and system, Patricia is helping shape the future of DPP standards.
Embracing Digital Product Passports is not just a step forward – it’s a vital safeguard for the future of construction, ensuring that safety, sustainability and global competitiveness are never compromised.
How can the UK government and construction trade and professional associations support manufacturers to get ready for Digital Product Passports? Because we can’t miss this opportunity.
We’ll be writing more about Digital Product Passports in future blog posts. Why not subscribe to make sure you don’t miss them?
Footnotes:
[i] Building a Safer Future – Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety: Interim Report, page 22
[ii] Quoted extracts from European Parliament’s position on the first reading of the ESPR
[iii] CEN/CLC refers to the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CLC or CENELEC), two key organizations responsible for developing and managing technical standards in Europe.
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