WHY IS THIRD-PARTY CERTIFICATION FOR CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTS IMPORTANT?
Independent, third-party certification for construction products is designed to give confidence that claims made my manufacturers are genuine, accurate and verifiable.
Different certification types exist to cover different elements of a manufacturer’s operations, from product performance and environmental impact, to management processes and responsible sourcing.
Specifiers, installers and building owners/managers all rely on the information provided by product manufacturers to help them achieve high-performance buildings that meet the requirements of standards and regulations. By submitting themselves to external assessment, manufacturers can provide the necessary reassurance that their products ‘do what they say on the tin’.
Is third-party certification mandatory?
When we talk about third-party certification, we are broadly referring to accreditations and approvals that are voluntary. They exist to give manufacturers a route by which they can back up claims about their products, and set themselves apart from manufacturers who choose not to achieve the same certification.
The CE Mark, or equivalent UKCA Mark, for example, is not voluntary. Manufacturers are required to affix such marks in order to be able to sell their products in certain regions. The mark acts as an indication that products, no matter where they are manufactured, have been produced to a common technical standard.
In the case of extruded polystyrene (XPS), that means a product being manufactured to the harmonised standard EN 13164. Read more about EN 13164 and CE marking here.
How important is BBA certification?
One thing that a CE or UKCA Mark does not do is establish whether a product is fit for purpose. While it tells you that it has been manufactured to an agreed standard, it does not provide any information as to whether the product is suitable for a particular application.
That is where Agrément certification comes in. To be issued with an Agrément certificate, a product is tested and assessed in relation to its intended use.
In the UK, the majority of Agrément certificates are issued by the British Board of Agrément (BBA). Indeed, the generic term ‘Agrément certificate’ is often used interchangeably with ‘BBA certificate’.
A BBA certificate can be particularly important for new products that have no track record, or for products that have no harmonised standard. In both cases, an Agrément certificate may be the only way to be accepted by specifiers and installers, as it offers reassurance that the product is suitable for the use for which it is offered.
For more established products – such as XPS insulation – a BBA certificate effectively acts as a ‘stamp of approval’. It gives confidence and reassurance that the product is designed for its intended use.
Sometimes a product is part of a system. For example, the Polyfoam Roofboard range is used in conjunction with Slimline Zero membrane to create an inverted roof ‘kit’, as defined by ETAG 031. In this case, the BBA certificate also demonstrates that the products work together to meet the agreed assessment criteria for inverted roof systems.
Another benefit of Agrément certificates is that they demonstrate the suitability of a product or material, and thereby help to meet relevant building regulations, like Regulation 7 in England and Wales.
What other types of third-party certification are there?
A host of different certifications exist, depending on what claim(s) a manufacturer is looking to verify and what expectations the marketplace has about certain types of products.
At Polyfoam XPS, we have several other third-party assessed certifications and accreditations, alongside our BBA certificates for flooring and flat roofing.
Our environmental product declarations (EPDs) provide independently verified information about the environmental impact of our insulation boards, which can then be used as part of whole building assessments. As part of our commitment to be being a responsible manufacturer, we also have BES 6001 responsible sourcing certification.
Management systems are an important part of construction product manufacturing, and these are also assessed and certified by a third-party. Polyfoam XPS has certification for quality, environmental, health and safety, and energy management systems (ISO 9001, 14001, 45001 and 50001 respectively).
Our BBA certificates and other third-party accreditation can be downloaded from the technical support section of the Polyfoam XPS website. To find out more about how our insulation products and certification can help to achieve your project goals, contact us.