- A consortium of Spanish and Norwegian organisations, supported by various industry representatives, will develop a feasibility study on the database described in the future European Construction Products Regulation. The objective is to define a system for a digital product passport that meets the information digitisation needs of administrations, manufacturers and other actors in the construction industry value chain.
Madrid, 9 October 2023 - The consortium formed by the Spanish organisations Fundación Tecnalia and the Spanish Association for Standardization, UNE, and the Norwegian company Cobuilder has won a tender from the European Commission to develop a technical evaluation of the different possible solutions for a future European database or system for construction products. This system is foreseen in the proposed revision of the Construction Products Regulation (CPR), currently under development.
The expected changes may have both practical and legal implications for the construction sector, including the likely implementation of digital passports for construction products and the provision of environmental data based on life cycle analysis.
"The revision of the CPR aims to make the construction sector contribute to the digital and ecological transition and to improve efficiency in the value chain," says Aitor Aragón, Head of Sustainable Construction and BIM at UNE, one of the participants in the consortium.
At the initial stages, it will be necessary to decide on the future data infrastructure to achieve the objectives, for which the creation of a database for construction products is essential for the single market and for Member States. The aim is to ensure that common and standardised mechanisms for construction product data are used by all stakeholders in the sector in the different geographical areas.
"We need to understand and define how product data should be structured, shared and managed across industries. The reason why this has not yet been achieved is the fragmented nature of the construction sector and its complexity. The impetus created by the European Green Pact and the need for digitalisation will allow us to reach the next level," says Lars Chr. Fredenlund, Managing Director of the Norwegian technology company Cobuilder.
