Glass for Europe, the European flat glass association, has released its recommendations on the revision of the Construction Products Regulation (CPR).
“Glass for Europe welcomes the European Commission’s proposal for a new Construction Products Regulation,” said Justin Loup, Technical Regulations and Project Advisor at Glass for Europe. “This proposal could reinforce the single market principles for construction products and stimulates the move towards greater sustainability in the industry.”
Glass for Europe calls on the European Parliament and the Council to focus on three important items of the European Commission proposal which demand adaptations.
- First, some procedures should be simplified to allow the thousands of SMEs across the flat glass sector to operate efficiently. The simplified procedure currently allowing the recognition of test results obtained by another manufacturer should be reintroduced in the new CPR, as should the possibility of replacing type calculation by technical documentation when specified in the harmonised technical specifications.
- Second, some more practical provisions on the sustainability of construction products are needed. The sustainability performance of building glass products depends on too many environmental parameters as well as on the building where the glass product will be installed. Thus, tagging such products with a traffic-light label would not effectively inform users.
- Finally, Glass for Europe believes that the industry’s digitalisation efforts should be better supported. The planned EU database or system must avoid over-prescriptive and outdated requirements. It should be smart and allow data to be shared smoothly and without extensive human and financial resources.
“To make it really workable, the CPR should be adapted to the realities of the construction sector,” concluded J. Loup.
Download the position paper.
Read the Answer to the European Commission’s consultation.
Listen to audio statement below.