Our Priorities for the Next Government

A modern Industrial Strategy adopted
A modern industrial strategy can provide construction product manufacturers with a sustained direction of travel and expectations for future growth areas. Through a strong collaboration with the private sector, government can help create and shape markets, providing manufacturers with the confidence to invest and innovate. Such a strategy should support manufacturers to enable a wider transition to a greener future for the UK.

A resolution to outstanding Brexit issues
Particularly around UKCA marking, testing and regulatory divergence. The emerging complexity is creating barriers to growth and investment. Construction product manufacturers require a smoother, less costly regulatory framework for trading with the EU to free up money to invest in new products that drive higher standards in building safety and improve performance and sustainability credentials for projects.

A skills strategy for manufacturing green, digital jobs of the future
A robust skills strategy to provide apprenticeship incentives for areas of skill shortages, such as construction and manufacturing. Government should help promote careers in our industry to young people from a diverse range of backgrounds, and give manufacturers more flexibility to upskill their existing workforce and to invest in the green, digitalised jobs of the future.

Support for research and innovation in advanced manufacturing, as well as the digitalisation of construction
The Government should increase funding for research and development programmes aimed at fostering innovative manufacturing processes and products. Investment in digital innovation for our industry, such as facilitating interoperable information exchange and ensuring construction products are digitally traceable, will help improve productivity and drive higher standards for building safety.

Support for the Code for Construction Product Information
In response to the Hackitt Review, Government should support this independent industry initiative to drive higher standards in construction product information management systems that would ultimately result in improved safety, performance, culture and practice.

A strategy to deliver the infrastructure necessary for secure, low-carbon energy supply
Industry is committed to securing a transition to a low-carbon economy and has invested in the latest technologies to improve energy efficiency within their factories. But, to facilitate industrial decarbonisation, the provision of new energy supplies such as hydrogen, biomass and renewables require infrastructure investment to help bring these to the factory gate. Programmes should be developed to support British industry in its transition to clean growth. A Carbon Border Adjustment Mechansim (CBAM) could support the energy-intensive sectors in their transition to low carbon manufacturing, essential if they are to compete with overseas competitors not subject to UK energy and decarbonisation policies. We need a progressive national energy management system capable of reconciling low-carbon demand with generation and storage issues.

Embed the whole life value of products in procurement
Public Sector procurement contracts should include social, environmental and labour clauses in their design. UK construction product manufacturers invest significant resources into reducing the environmental impact of their products, providing third party accreditation and undertaking local hiring, training and supply chain initiatives that have a meaningful impact on their communities. This should be rewarded in the public procurement process and encouraged in the private sector also.

Utilise the expertise within product manufacturers on carbon reporting and measurement
Construction product manufacturers have reported on the sustainability impacts of their products for over thirty years, adopting life cycle assessment methodology to established ISO, CEN and British Standards to produce an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). Data from an EPD is used in building level assessment (often called Whole Life Carbon Assessment) which measures both embodied and operational carbon of a structure. This is an established methodology that should be recognised when considering reporting requirements for any proposed regulation.