At the end of January, we welcomed the introduction of the draft Code for Construction Product Information, or CCPI, and explored what it is all about. It is a crucial step in driving the ‘real culture change and right behaviours’ that Dame Judith Hackitt calls for in Building a Safer Future. So, what is it intended to achieve and why does it matter? Not just to manufacturers, but to everybody operating in the built environment.
Born out of the industry’s desire to put right some of the many endemic issues that were highlighted in Dame Judith’s report, the Code seeks to address the lack of clarity, the inconsistency and unsupported claims that sometimes dog product information appearing in the market.
The Code is challenging in its scope, yet must also be realistic in its requirements if it is to be taken up in any meaningful way. This is why it is so important to respond to the consultation, which closes on 31 March 2021. It must also be relevant to stakeholders up and down the supply chain for it to achieve what it sets out to do. Market forces are the greatest drivers of change, so if specifications are won or lost off the back of compliance with the Code, it will become a far more effective and attractive proposition.
The Code outlines very broad principles – five ‘acid tests’ that must be met, and eleven clauses that identify the key areas and criteria that are covered. What it currently lacks is much clearer information about the requirements, especially in the more nuanced areas such as competency. It also needs industry input to understand the practicalities involved in terms of time scale, budget and resource. This is where the consultation comes in – the views of all stakeholders are needed to shape what this could and should finally look like.
The simple answer to this question is everybody! Manufacturers can build greater trust with architects, developers and contractors. Specifiers can be confident that they are working off the right information and can more easily compare different products. End users can be assured that their buildings have been constructed from products that have been accurately identified as suitable for that use. Even insurers could have a clearer basis on which to assess risk or asset value.
Transparency, clarity and integrity are the foundation stones of good communication. The CCPI, therefore, not only marks a vital step towards strengthening accountability and rebuilding trust within the construction industry – ensuring accurate specification and contributing to a safer built environment – it also offers the opportunity for manufacturers to embrace communications best practice in every area of their operations. From a wider perspective, the principles laid out in the CCPI translate beyond product information and across every aspect of business communications, from blog content and social media posts to annual financial and sustainability reporting.
The CCPI places the onus on product manufacturers to comply, but it is every bit as much our responsibility as PR and marketing professionals to abide by the principles that are set out in the Code, regardless of whether our clients sign up to it or not. Whilst we trust that we are being supplied with correct information, we have a responsibility to ask for evidence to support performance or environmental claims, and to avoid any ‘smoke and mirrors’ in the content that we produce, and we should be rigorous in our own processes for content sign of and version control.
We are confident of our approach and processes here at Smith Goodfellow, but we are committed to keeping our systems under regular review to ensure that they are as robust as possible. We are also exploring what more we can dobetter support our clients in their own journey. We believe that there should be an affiliation to the Code – something that third party agencies and consultancies could sign up to, thereby demonstrating their own commitment to creating content that is clear, accurate, up to date, transparent and unambiguous.
Smith Goodfellow will be submitting a full response to the consultation. There is still time to have your say and help in the journey to rebuild trust in construction.
