Engineering and environmental consultancy Waterman Group has launched its materials passports Framework, which it says sets a pathway to material reuse in the construction industry.
Waterman Group says the Materials Passports Framework presents the “first standardised approach” to documenting and managing materials throughout their lifecycle. The Framework aims to provide a roadmap to create a database of information, containing the identity, specifications and performance data for materials, products and building elements.
The data in Materials Passports will facilitate informed decision-making on efficient material reuse, Waterman Group says.
Through this Framework, Waterman Group says it wants the Materials Passports Protocol to become an industry standard. The Framework aligns with the forthcoming Digital Product Passport (DPP) requirements under the proposed Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) in the European Union’s European Green Deal, Waterman Group says.
Materials Passports are currently being trialled at Fletcher Priest Architects-designed Edenica, a City of London sustainability-focussed construction scheme by YardNine and BauMont Real Estate.
Waterman Group says it is also working with software developer Circuland to deliver a digital platform designed to host Materials Passports data which could lead to the creation of a UK-wide building materials stock database.
Mark Terndrup, Waterman’s Managing Director for Building Services – South, commented: “With the launch of our Materials Passports Framework, we aim to drive material circularity and kick-start the circular economy throughout the construction industry with a robust process any scheme can follow.
“The impacts of the climate emergency are more prevalent than ever, and extending material lifespans is fundamental to minimising the embodied and whole-life carbon impact of development schemes across every sector.”
