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INDUSTRY VIEWFINDER
Do you agree manufacturers having to include a full range of environmental impact data in Environmental Product Declarations by 2030 is the right thing to do?
The endemic problem of ‘greenwashing’ i.e. false sustainability claims in the industry can occur within certificated products or even within certifications themselves. We asked how challenging the task of identifying greenwashing within certified products was for them, and a solid majority of 60% of respondents said they were struggling to identify greenwashing, a concerning result.
Third-party certification
In order to deliver truly credible certification, 84% of respondents said that third-party data was essential for both safety and performance criteria, however sustainability and durability were also strongly backed (79% and 77% respectively.) We asked our respondents which product types they were requiring third-party certification of products for, to provide objective data across the categories of ‘safety,’ ‘performance’ and sustainability’ for a variety of product types. In total, 57% of respondents said they required third-party safety and performance certification data for cladding and wall finishes (47% for sustainability data). Windows and doors saw a high response of 62% saying they needed third-party data on performance, showing the growing importance of thermal performance and air-tightness requirements (safety came a relatively low second at 49%). Roofing also showed a difference, with 56% saying they required third-party certification on performance, but only 48% on safety.
Two other contrasting results were plumbing and drainage (36% on performance versus 27% on safety and 26% on sustainability), and HVAC systems (31% requiring third-party certification on performance), reflecting the increased focus on low carbon heating. We had a variety of verbatim comments in response to the question around third-party certifications being used, including how they sought feedback from within their profession to ascertain the validity of third-party data, and one respondent said they “take advice from CPD providers.” In terms of fire and other safety issues, one commenter said they would seek third-party assessment “if it is outside a manufacturer’s declaration.”
Data challenges We looked at which types of certification and supporting info were proving most challenging to obtain, and the top scores were for performance certification and life-cycle analysis (48% and 46% respectively). Despite performance being potentially a wide remit, this appeared a high score for life-cycle analysis, suggesting that it was disproportionately difficult to source info here. Certification on embodied carbon was a major challenge for many respondents, with 39% saying that it was a challenge to obtain the information needed. Embodied carbon assessment is a component of LCA in many cases, and may represent a large amount of the challenge overall perceived by respondents.
WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK
ADF SEPTEMBER 2024
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