Consultation opens on construction products reform

Following the 2025 green paper on construction products reform (see nima news, 25 April 2025), a white paper has been published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and & Local Government (MHCLG), setting out the UK government’s plans, including requirements relating to digitalisation of product information.

The MHCLG says it will require “industry and government to deliver standardised and interoperable approaches to digitisation.” It wants construction product information to be made available digitally, in formats that are interoperable, accessible and endure over time. And it has welcomed industry efforts “to agree, define and create the appropriate data structures or templates, and supporting standards, processes and tools that enable well-functioning information flows that support safe decision-making”.

Challenges

Clear challenges remain. Green paper respondents had been cautious about data ownership, and the maintenance and verification of information. Concerns had also been expressed about cybersecurity, intellectual property safeguards, implementation, and inconsistency of digital capability across what remains a complex sectoral landscape.

MHCLG acknowledge: “It will be a significant undertaking to align the sector in a standardised digital approach, while encouraging innovation.”. It notes research has been commissioned to understand barriers to digitalisation across the construction products sector.

Construction product information library

The white paper reiterates plans for a construction product information library, despite the considerable implementation challenges, including legal and confidentiality issues, funding and administrative burdens on manufacturers, trust and verification of data. The MHCLG is proposing a phased approach: “targeting interventions we can make now while supporting wider digitalisation, including looking for opportunities for interoperability or alignment between reporting systems to reduce overall administrative burden”.

The white paper also says the government intends to align with the EU’s plans for digital product passports, “where it is in line with our objectives for safe products, safely used”.

The deadline for submission of responses to the consultation, via the MHCLG’s online platform, is 20 May 2026.