This page presents data, evidence, and solutions that are provided by our partners and members and should therefore not be attributed to UKGBC. While we showcase these solutions for inspiration, to build consensus, and create momentum for climate action, UKGBC does not offer commercial endorsement of individual solutions. If you would like to quote something from this page, or more information, please contact our Communications team at media@ukgbc.org.

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UKGBC’s recent Materials Passports Guides provide an overview of materials passports and how they can be a tool to support greater circularity within the built environment. This guide’s also outline which stakeholder may need to be involved in the process and the different types of data which may want to be collected.

Building on the guides, this webinar will showcase tools and solutions to aid with collecting data over the building’s lifespan and the creation of materials passports. You should attend this webinar if you are involved with circular design and the tracking of materials over the life of built assets.

During the event, you’ll hear from the UKGBC team on the importance of the topic, after which there will be a series of quick-fire pitches from our Innovative Start-Up members and companies offering solutions in this space. UKGBC’s Solutions & Innovation team have been continuously profiling many of these in our Solutions Library.

UKGBC is therefore running this cross-team webinar to showcase some of the innovative solutions available to help built environment practitioners understand the tools available in this area.

UKGBC cancellation and refund policy

Please see our website for more details on our cancellations and refunds.

Advancing Net Zero Partners

Our Advancing Net Zero work is made possible thanks to our programme partners

The post Innovation Showcase – Materials Passports appeared first on UKGBC.

The role of materials passports in circular construction

A materials passport is a digital record that captures essential data about a material’s composition, life-cycle impact, and reuse potential. By documenting these attributes, passports support informed decision-making at every stage of a building’s life-cycle — from design to deconstruction. They ensure materials retain value beyond their initial use, reducing landfill and supporting a truly circular economy. 

This aligns with the UK’s increasing focus on material reuse to lower embodied carbon. More developers and project teams now prioritise not just the upfront emissions of materials but also their potential for reclamation and reuse. However, for materials passports to function effectively, the industry needs standardised, reliable environmental and material data. While EPDs provide insights into environmental performance, a broader set of information—covering material composition, deconstructability, and circularity potential—is required to fully support their implementation. 

Why EPDs are essential to materials passports

EPDs, as defined by the European standard EN 15804, provide third-party verified data on a product’s environmental impact across its life-cycle. This independent verification ensures reliability, giving architects, engineers, and contractors confidence in their material choices. EPDs specifically measure global warming potential (GWP) — the key metric for assessing a material’s embodied carbon — alongside other environmental indicators. This data is broken down into core life-cycle stages, covering production, construction, use, and end-of-life. 

For manufacturers, this shift presents a challenge and an opportunity. As sustainability expectations grow, contractors and clients increasingly require EPDs from their supply chains. Without them, manufacturers risk exclusion from tenders where transparency on environmental impact is now a key selection criterion. 

The regulatory and market drivers for EPD adoption

Several regulatory and industry-led initiatives are accelerating EPD and materials passport adoption:

–UK Net-Zero Commitments & PAS 2080: The UK’s net-zero strategy is driving stricter embodied carbon reporting, with PAS 2080 emphasizing life-cycle assessment (LCA) and material transparency.

–EU Level(s) Framework & Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR): UK manufacturers selling in the European market must comply with ESPR, reinforcing the need for transparent product environmental data.

–Client and investor demand: With EDG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) criteria shaping investment and procurement decisions, having EPDs can be a competitive advantage.

Mapping low-carbon products with digital tools

To fully utilise EPDs and materials passports, the industry must leverage digital tools that simplify access to environmental data. Platforms aggregating EPDs and materials passports into searchable databases allow architects, engineers, and contractors to compare materials based on carbon footprint, sourcing, and end-of-life potential. These tools also provide manufacturers with a platform to showcase their products, helping specifiers select materials aligned with sustainability targets and regulations.

EPDS and materials passports in building certifications

EPDs and materials passports contribute to key sustainability certifications. EPDs support compliance with embodied carbon reduction targets in BREEAM, LEED, RICS, and Level(s), while materials passports enhance circularity by tracking material provenance and reuse potential. Though not yet mandatory, they are increasingly recognised as essential for meeting sustainability benchmarks and certification requirements.

Streamlining EPD generation for materials passports

For EPDs to drive widespread materials passport adoption, the process of generating them must be efficient and accessible. Historically, EPD production was time-consuming and costly, but advancements in life-cycle assessment (LCA) software are streamlining and semi-automating the process.

Manufacturers can now generate and publish EPDs more efficiently, ensuring their products are market-ready and compliant with evolving regulations. By leveraging such tools, construction professionals can integrate materials passports into workflows more seamlessly, reducing complexity and improving traceability. 

Beyond EPDs: enabling circular construction through digital solutions

Beyond EPDs, digital platforms play a key role in promoting low-carbon materials. Global material databases, like Material Compass provided by One Click LCA, help AEC professionals assess materials based on environmental impact while allowing manufacturers to showcase their lower-carbon products. By integrating these tools, the industry can build a structured, accessible pathway from EPD creation to materials passport adoption, embedding sustainability within material selection and procurement.

From data to action: embedding materials passports in practice

To fully realise the potential of materials passports, stakeholders across the built environment must collaborate to standardise data collection, enhance material traceability, and integrate passports into Building Information Modelling (BIM) workflows. This involves:

–Manufacturers prioritising EPD generation to ensure materials are eligible for passports and suitable for reuse.
–Architects and engineers incorporating materials passports into specifications, considering end-of-life material value at the design stage.
–Contractors and developers leveraging material databases to select circular products that align with sustainability goals.

A call to action for a circular future

As circular construction gains momentum, materials passports are emerging as a critical tool in the transition. However, without the foundational data provided by EPDs, their full potential remains unrealised.

For real progress, manufacturers, specifiers, and policymakers must work together to ensure environmental data is not only available but actively used to support material reuse and carbon reduction. By embracing materials passports and the EPDs that enable them, the UK’s construction sector can take a more meaningful step towards a truly sustainable, resource-efficient future.

How EPDs support materials passports

Materials Passports Guides

These practical and technical guides give an overview of Materials Passports and their crucial role in promoting circularity and reuse in the built environment.

Learn more

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The table below includes information about many of the solutions in this area with information provided by the solution provider. Please click on the company names to see more information about each solution.

This page presents data, evidence, and solutions that are provided by our partners and members and should therefore not be attributed to UKGBC. While we showcase these solutions for inspiration, to build consensus, and create momentum for climate action, UKGBC does not offer commercial endorsement of individual solutions. If you would like to quote something from this page, or more information, please contact our Communications team at media@ukgbc.org.

The post Materials Passports Platforms appeared first on UKGBC.

We need to move to a new way of thinking, working, and delivery; a circular economy must be part of the equation. We must revaluate the way we think about and approach the building cycle by considering everything from design all the way to end-of-life planning.

In recent years, materials passports have gained prominence in the built environment sector for their use in promoting circularity, climate mitigation, and waste reduction. These ‘passports’ digitally store key information on construction materials and products, supporting the recovery and reuse of these materials over their life cycle. In the built environment sector, these lifecycle documents act as a tool for data and understanding end-of-life options for materials. By digitally logging the trajectory of these components, materials passports are crucial in unlocking circularity and promoting material reuse in the built environment.

Materials Passports Practical Guide

Our practical guide covers key principles of materials passports, such as why they’re important, key considerations, key stakeholders to engage with, and more.

Download the Practical Guide here

Materials Passports Information Reference Guide

Our information reference guide is mainly aimed at clients, design teams, contractors, and manufacturers. It outlines the way in which materials passports will be most beneficial and which data/information is considered essential, recommended, and optional to include in a passport.

Download the Reference Guide here

What are material passports and what are the benefits of using them?

UKGBC’s Clare Wilde reflects on the role of material passports in driving a circular economy within our built environment.

Read Clare’s blog

Circular Economy

The built environment needs to move away from the linear economy and embrace circularity. This will reduce waste, carbon emissions and our impact on the natural world.

View more

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FutureBuild brings together around 15k professionals committed to sustainability, innovation, and collaboration in the built environment – architect, engineer, contractor, policy makers – and offers insights, cutting-edge products, and networking opportunities to support sustainability goals. 

In partnership with: Mitsubishi Electric UK, Interface and Chetwoods Architects, we are returning to Futurebuild with our award winning stand, where you can learn more about our work, and our network.  As part of the 3-day event,  we are participating in two main stage events, and leading on three panel discussion as well as hosting a materials workshop on stand. See below for our full activity calendar.

Day 1 – Tuesday 4th March

12:00-12:45 How the circular economy and degrowth can avoid catastrophic tipping points

We have known about ‘limits to growth’ since at least 1972. We know that society’s use of materials for all purposes has increased from 7 billion tons in 1900 to 92 billion tons in 2017, and this is just not sustainable. We can recycle as much as we can but if we keep trying to grow GDP no matter the environmental and social costs, we risk missing our climate targets and triggering catastrophic tipping points. We then try to put a price on nature that doesn’t prohibit growth. Thinking ‘circular’ goes beyond waste and influences every decision that we make particularly for those working in the built environment. Time for an honest conversation about where we should be in 12 months? By 2030? by 2035?

Chair: Smith Mordak, UKGBC

Panel: Dr David Greenfield, SOENECS; Elwyn Grainger-Jones, Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute; Teresa Domenech, University College London

Day 2 – Wednesday 5th March 

13:30-14:15 How resilient is the UK built environment to climate impacts?

A session around the UKGBC Climate Resilience Roadmap, with a sneak peek at the roadmap content looking at how resilient and vulnerable the UK built environment is to climate impacts, including results of the Roadmap research as well as key insights.  We will explore ‘where should we be in 12 months / 2030 / 2035’ as we will tease the actions and recommendations. 

Chairs: Hannah Giddings, UKGBC; Macarena Cardenas, UKGBC

Panel: Ashely Bateson, Hoare Lea; Christine Cambrook, Buro Happold; Anna Oxenham, Mace

Location: Buildings Impact Stage

14:30-15:20 Material Matters Workshop delivered by Chetwoods Architects (UKGBC Stand)

Chetwoods Architects dive into all things sustainability when it comes to materials, including embodied carbon, health and wellbeing, and the circular economy. Information and exploration of a range of exciting material samples for an interactive session where you can challenge yourself to pick out the more sustainable material options, and identify the red herrings.

16:15-17:00 The Futurebuild Conversation – Achieving our low carbon future? Why aren’t we there yet? 

As we transition to our low carbon future we find ourselves at a pivotal moment as it is only 25 years to 2050 when we need to get to the legally binding target of reducing carbon emissions to net zero. So what are the opportunities and the barriers?Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning are major consumers of energy in any building and the HVAC equipment that is designed and installed over the next 5 years is likely to still be in use in 2050. That means that the decisions we all make now on both new-build, and more importantly retrofit must align with those net zero goals if clients are to avoid ending up with stranded assets.  Yet the technology that can help on the road to net zero already exists.

Chair: Dr Anastasia Mylona, Technical Director, CIBSE

Panel: Yetunde Abdul, UKGBC; Steff Wright, Gusto Group; Chris Newman, Mitsubishi Electric

Location: Futurebuild Arena

Day 3: Thursday 6th March

10:30-11:15 What is a ‘Regenerative Place’? and how do we get there? 

The word ‘Regenerative’ is being used with increasing frequency across industry, with a growing number of perspectives on what it the concept means. There is less understanding so far, of how it translates into practice and especially how we retrofit our homes and urban spaces to bring the vision into reality for UK communities.  The session will focus on Improving biodiversity and green space; offering health and social value benefits, strengthening climate resilience 

Chaired by: Joanne Wheeler, UKGBC; Anna Hollyman, UKGBC

Panel: Miles Lewis, Clarion Housing Group; Carl Walker, Hoare Lea

Location: Placemaking Impact Stage

13:30-14:15 Towards a nature-positive built environment 

A reflection on the built environment’s role in the global transition to a nature positive future. This session will outline our current understanding of what nature positive entails and focus specifically on addressing embodied ecological impacts from materials. It will showcase best practice examples and key principles to make a difference. 

Chair: Kai Liebetanz, UKGBC

Panel: Aaron Grainger, Buro Happold; Julia Baker, Mott Macdonald; Becky Gordon, Interface 

Deep Dive into Supply Chain Decarbonisation

UKGBC will be showcasing Supply Chain Decarbonisation on our stand at Futurebuild, in a series of five sessions. We will be sharing details of our work to date including the aim, scope, plans, activity to date and our desired outcomes from this workstream. UKGBC programme leads will be heading this event, with support from Partners and Task Group members in attendance.

In addition, attendees will have the opportunity to contribute to our testing of initial ideas for action, shaping our developing plans for future work. Whilst also learning how, as stakeholders in the built environment, you can get more involved in helping to drive progress.

The Deep Dive event will take place during the following time periods:
Tuesday 4 March 11:00-12:00, 14:00-15:00
Wednesday 5 March 11:00-12:00, 14:00-15:00
Thursday 6 March 11:00-12:00

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To address the built environments impacts properly we need to look at impact via our supply chain and the extraction of materials. Similar to embodied carbon, embodied ecological impacts are caused by the resource extraction and manufacturing process, such as the production and transportation of raw materials and the disposal of unused materials. These impacts occur offsite, mainly via materials extraction and the supply chain.

Continuing UKGBC’s work on Embodied Ecological Impacts (EEI), this conference – free to members- will bring together experts to share knowledge and explore knowledge gaps. There are still many unknowns when it comes to decision making on built environment projects. These include:

• Lack of transparency in supply chains
• Lack of consensus on metrics and data needs
• Lack of best practice examples

Through keynote lectures, panel discussions and interactive activities, this event will address these challenges and explore ways of overcoming them.

We will discuss the role of data and metrics, but also the urgent need to act in the absence of this data. We will share existing best practice and have the opportunity to meet individuals working at the cutting edge of this topic and build new networks.

We’ll feature pioneers from varied backgrounds and perspectives – such as academia, developers, or contractors – and we’ll hear from sectors beyond the build environment to learn from their experience.

Who is this conference for?

This event is for everyone who is trying to assess embodied ecological impacts on their projects. Architects, engineers, consultants, as well as contractors and manufacturers will all benefit from the insights of this event.

Agenda

11:00 Welcome  

11:10 Opening keynote 

11:30 Panel: The engineers perspective 

12:15 Interactive activity 

12:45 Lunch 

13:45 Afternoon keynote: Data and metrics 

14:00 Panel: Data and metrics 

14:45 Coffee break and interactive activity 

15:15 Learning from other sectors 

15:45 Closing reflections 

16:00 Networking and drinks 

Speakers

We have a great line-up for speakers already confirmed, with more to come. They include:

• Smith Mordak, CEO, UKGBC
• Laura Batty, Senior Associate, Heyne Tillett Steel
• Kai Liebetanz, Head of Nature, UKGBC
• Will Arnold, Head of Climate Action, IStructE
• Sunand Prasad, Principal, Perkins&Will 
• Eva MacNamara, Director, Expedition Engineering 
• Alfred Muge, Programme Officer, UNEP-WCMC 
• Cristina Secades, Principal Consultant, Biodiversify 
• Jenny Merriman, Technical Director, WSP 
• Morgan Taylor, Director, Greengage 
• Brogan MacDonald, Head of Sustainability in Building Structures, Ramboll 
• Annabelle Richards, Senior Manager Nature, Lloyds Banking Group 

We look forward to seeing you at our first EEI conference!

UKGBC cancellation and refund policy 

Please see our website for more details on our cancellations and refunds: https://ukgbc.org/ukgbc-cancellation-and-refund-policy/  

Project partners

Resilience & Nature Programme Partners

With thanks to our programme partners who make our work on nature possible.

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This page presents data, evidence, and solutions that are provided by our partners and members and should therefore not be attributed to UKGBC. While we showcase these solutions for inspiration, to build consensus, and create momentum for climate action, UKGBC does not offer commercial endorsement of individual solutions. If you would like to quote something from this page, or more information, please contact our Communications team at media@ukgbc.org.

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The need for rapid decarbonisation is clear. The impacts of climate change are being felt here and now, with average global temperature records being broken around the world. We need to accelerate action to mitigate our impacts on our planet – and to adapt to a changing climate. But we’re not moving fast enough. UKGBCs Whole Life Carbon Roadmap indicates that continuing business as usual would see the sector fall well short of the 2050 net zero target.  

Organisations across the built environment value chain need to play their part in reaching net zero, and each and every person in those organisations can support the transformation.    

That means you!  

Net Zero

‘Net zero’ can appear confusing, complicated, and highly challenging to achieve, but UKGBC are here to help you understand what this means, why it’s important and what actions you can take. 

This webinar series will build your core net zero knowledge through exploring key concepts, ideas and solutions needed to reach net zero across our built environment. Each session will delve into a new subject, from measuring carbon, to retrofit and much more. And this year, we’ll focus on public buildings, and how they can be designed, built, retrofitted, operated and maintained to achieve net zero.  

UKGBC’s Advancing Net Zero team will provide expert guidance across the series, alongside inspirational examples of success and case studies from UKGBC members. Each session will allow for questions, giving you the opportunity to ask our experts and guests anything you want.  

With a new government comes the opportunity for change across our industry in how our non-domestic and public buildings are designed, built, retrofitted, operated and maintained. Join us as we explore the core topics of net zero needed to radically transform the sustainability of the built environment.   

Series detail 

Each webinar will run from 09:30 – 10:30 GMT (with an extended Q&A from 10:30-10:45)  

Why attend?  

Every one of us needs to be part of the journey to a net zero, sustainable built environment. As organisations set carbon reduction targets and progress towards more sustainable business objectives, it’s important to understand some of these key concepts to ensure you are not left behind.  

From attending this series, you will:

• Understand what net zero carbon means, and how it can be achieved in the built environment sector and how it relates to nature, resilience and adaptation.  
• See how organisations are already rising to the challenge. 
• Be inspired to participate in sustainability action in your organisation.  
• Know where to find further UKGBC resources and learning.

Who should attend?

These sessions are designed for anyone who’s interested in knowing more about net zero in the built environment – they’re open to all. They will cover essential knowledge, not detailed, technical advice.  

You could be early in your career, or keen to know more about what net zero means for your team or role, or you may have recognised that you need to know more on this topic to succeed in your organisation. Either way, this series will give you the essential knowledge you need to support the decarbonisation of the built environment.  

Webinar hosts  

This series will be hosted by Joe Pitts-Cunningham, Experiential Learning Manager at UKGBC.  

Each episode, Joe will be joined by a UKGBC expert from across the team, and several members who will present a case study.  

CPD hours (if attending all 6 webinars): 6hrs  

These webinars are free to UKGBC members.  

If you’re unsure if your organisation is a member, please check our Membership Directory.    

UKGBC cancellation and refund policy 

Please see our website for more details on our cancellations and refunds: https://ukgbc.org/ukgbc-cancellation-and-refund-policy/ 

The post UKGBC Advancing Net Zero: Essential Knowledge Series 2024 (Online) appeared first on UKGBC.

The suite of learning resources here aims to demystify key sustainability concepts and create a common language for non-technical experts to confidently get involved in sustainable building topics.

Using jargon-free, easy-to-understand language, UKGBC’s Bitesize Learning provides a jumping-off point for non-sustainability professionals to begin their sustainability learning journey.

Our learning resource have been split into topic areas to make them easier to navigate.

On this page

• Discover the new set of finance guides
• Net Zero Carbon
• Nature, Resource use and the Circular Economy
• Resilience
• Sustainability across the Value Chain
• Retrofit

What’s available?

Alongside infographics, definitions and fact sheets, we also have the following 1 and 2 page guides:

Explainer Guides (1-page) break down key climate and nature topics into digestible chunks outlining:

• How it is defined.
• Its importance in tackling the climate crisis.
• How it relates to the built environment.
• Relevant resources to consolidate knowledge.

Practical Guides (2-pages) detail sustainable building across the value chain outlining:

• Key principles.
• Practical approaches for stakeholders.
• Case studies to bring the approach to life.
• Further resources to continue learning.

New Climate Finance Guides

Net Zero Carbon

Net Zero & Whole Life Carbon

Carbon Pricing, Carbon Offsetting & Renewable Energy

Nature, Resource use and the Circular Economy

Explainer and Practical Guides

Factsheets & Infographics

Something missing? Tell us what else you would like bitesize learning on via this short feedback form.

Using these guides

If you’d like to use these guides within your organisation, please contact Learning@UKGBC.org

Want to learn in a different way?

Sustainability Essentials for the Built Environment Email Course

Build your sustainability knowledge through this informative email-delivered learning opportunity.

Learn more

So What Can I Do? UKGBC Video Guides to Sustainability

This video series will help you understand sustainability in the built environment – and identify what role you can play in its transformation.

Learn more

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