About this programme
This research assesses how information on Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and from Life-Cycle Assessments (LCAs) can be incorporated digitally into commercial purchase decisions. It builds on GS1 New Zealand’s 2020 BRANZ research that focused on structured product data. We will investigate how the new ISO/DIS 22057 Sustainability in buildings and civil engineering works - Digital Data templates (DDTs) for the use of EPDs for construction products in BIM - can be used to easily inform procurement choices, including the consideration of packaging waste. Digital Data templates are extensible, so can include any other technical standards. We will interview stakeholders to understand the use cases of DDTs, in particular how they inform purchasing decisions of large construction sector merchants/retailers, who influence what suppliers offer in New Zealand, as well as inform government construction procurement agencies who can shape industry material and product choices. Successful adoption of DDTs in e-procurement processes have the potential to drive automation of downstream processes including BIM adoption, whole-of-life asset management and sharing of digital information in supply chains. While the focus is on applying EPDs in DDTs, this is scalable to include many other data requirements.