Better Data, Safer Building: CPA launches consultation on new Product Information Code
The Construction Products Association (CPA) is launching an industry-wide consultation into a new proposed Code for Construction Product Information (CCPI), to gather the views on the Code before it is formally launched later this year.
The Code has been developed by the CPA’s Marketing Integrity Group (MIG), which was tasked with responding to the issues raised in Dame Judith Hackitt’s report ‘Building A Safer Future’, and the credibility challenge facing our industry following the Grenfell Tower fire. The report confirmed radical change was needed for construction products, particularly in the areas of testing, information and marketing.
The Code, made up of 11 clauses, aims to set the benchmark for how product information is presented and marketed by manufacturers. A new microsite dedicated to this consultation - www.buildingsafely.co.uk - explains the background, and includes a specially written report on the new Code. It’s presented in an easy-to-read, digestible format for the industry to review and respond.
The MIG’s work tackles shortcomings in ‘Product Information’ identified in Chapter 7 of the ‘Building A Safer Future’ report. Its work represents two years of open debate and discussion, and of engagement with various parts of the supply chain. It follows detailed analysis of the Call For Evidence survey in 2019, which attracted over 500 responses from across the industry. The survey confirmed that for product and performance information to be trusted, it must be Clear, Accurate, Up-to-date, Accessible and Unambiguous. These five points are the acid tests that now stand behind the 11 Clauses in the new Code.
The MIG is driving a wide-reaching consultation to give manufacturers, specifiers and users of information an opportunity to comment on the new Code, the implementation of its 11 Clauses, and its ongoing management and policing. The consultation is being carried out independently by industry specialists, MRA Research.
CPA Chief Executive Peter Caplehorn comments: “The importance of this new Code and consultation process will be obvious to all those working in the built environment post-Grenfell. It is our responsibility as an industry to regain public trust and credibility in what we do, and to demonstrate that technical competence can be trusted. I believe the Code represents both a determined attempt on behalf of manufacturers to correct disingenuous marketing practices and a proactive and collaborative effort to address the issues highlighted in Dame Judith Hackitt’s Report.
“The first industry consultation in 2019 was key in establishing the way forward. We are now encouraging the industry to have their say once more before the Code is launched. We are reaching out to every organisation across the construction supply chain, whether that be manufacturers, specifiers, suppliers, distributors, contractors or installers. I hope businesses and individuals will embrace the opportunity to be involved, and recognise the urgency of change that is needed for our industry to ensure safe buildings.”
MIG Chair Adam Turk adds: “Following Grenfell, our industry reputation has been damaged. This Code is an opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to setting a level playing field for all construction product manufacturers to ensure that information they provide passes the five acid tests. In particular, that users of our products can once again rely upon the information given to them, to build the great buildings and infrastructure in which we live, work and play.”
Download the Code for Construction Products Information at www.buildingsafely.co.uk and register to have your say. The consultation will open on 1st February and run until 31st March.
ENDS
NOTE TO EDITORS:
The Construction Products Association (CPA)
The Construction Products Association is the leading organisation that represents and champions construction product manufacturers and suppliers. This vital UK industry defines our built environment, providing the products and materials needed for homes, offices, shops, roads, railways, schools and hospitals. Our industry directly provides jobs for 373,000 people across 24,000 companies and has an annual turnover of £61 billion.
The CPA is one of the three major industry bodies in the Industry Response Group (IRG), chaired by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, that was formed in response to the Grenfell Tower Fire. As a member of the IRG and strong contributor and champion of the Hackitt Report, CPA has been leading and collaborating on projects to pioneer industry culture change. www.constructionproducts.org.uk
MRA Research
MRA Research, part of MRA, is one of the UK’s longest standing research and insight agencies in construction. Research services include continuous and one-off customer satisfaction surveys, brand mapping & positioning, competitive advantage surveys & competitor reviews, new product development, concept testing, advertising & messaging and decision-maker research, product usage surveys, and market tracking. www.mra-research.co.uk
MRA devised, set up and runs the award-winning monthly Builders Merchant Builders Index (BMBI) in partnership with GfK and the Builders Merchants Federation (BMF). BMBI is the best proxy there is for RMI Housing based on GfK’s ground-breaking Builders Merchants Panel, which analyses data from over 80% of generalist builders’ merchants’ sales throughout Great Britain. For this reason, BMBI reports are included in the Government’s BEIS Monthly Construction Update.
MRA Marketing
MRA Marketing, part of MRA group, has been helping companies grow in construction, building materials and home improvement markets for nearly 30 years. A full-service multi-award winning B2B agency, MRA uses a combination of research & insight, strategy development, strategic PR, creative design, digital, social media and video to help customers grow consistently faster than their markets and achieve ambitious long-term goals. www.mra-marketing.com
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Lucia Di Stazio
MRA Marketing
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