On 18 December 2024, the new Construction Products Regulation was adopted, establishing harmonized standards for the marketing of construction products and repealing Regulation (EU) no. 305/2011.
the regulation, as detailed in article 96, came into force on 7 January 2025, with application beginning today, 8 January 2026.
Construction Products Regulation: What’s Changing?
What are the key developments, and how will the new rules impact businesses?
So, what’s actually changing? What steps need to be taken? And will the familiar CE marking need an overhaul? Is it time to update cascading contracts to align with the new CPR? These are the questions on the minds of many in the construction industry.
Standards expert Eng. Rita D’Alessandro offers some clarity:
“At the moment, nothing changes. The harmonized CE marking standard for windows and doors hasn’t yet begun the revision process required by the new Construction Products Regulation.The revision will start after the Commission issues a positive opinion on the Standardization Request, which is expected in March of this year. Assuming no unforeseen disagreements between the Commission and the European Commitee for Standardization (CEN) regarding the opinion’s content-which could delay the timeline-the review could optimistically begin this spring, taking around 18 months to complete. This would mean a conclusion at the end of 2027 or the beginning of 2028, followed by publication of the new standard in the European Official Journal. Together, the Commission is preparing the digital product passport platform and will provide further instructions on this and other aspects of the CPR that require clarification.”
Companies can proactively address the new regulation’s sustainability requirements-which will also be incorporated into the revised harmonized standard-by initiating a product Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) or an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). This can be leveraged commercially, even independently of CE marking, particularly in public projects subject to Minimum Environmental Criteria (CAM) or other environmental specifications.
Regarding cascading contracts, initiating a preliminary discussion about sustainability now is advisable to ensure preparedness when the new regulations are fully operational.
Description of Changes & How Questions are Answered:
* Why: The new Construction Products Regulation (CPR) was adopted to establish harmonized standards for construction products, replacing the previous regulation (EU) No 305/2011, and to prioritize sustainability and transparency.
* Who: The european Commission adopted the regulation. Eng. Rita D’Alessandro, a standards expert, provides insight into the implementation timeline. Businesses involved in the construction product supply chain are impacted.
* What: The CPR introduces new requirements, particularly around sustainability, and will eventually require revisions to CE marking standards. A key component is the progress of a digital product passport. Currently, no immediate changes are required.
* How did it end? The regulation is not “ended” but is in its initial implementation phase. The CE
