6.1 Responsible Sourcing

Broken chain of custody for legally harvested timber - KBCN1321

The Government website referred to in the ‘Legally harvested and traded timber’ definition in the Responsible sourcing issue, provides the necessary guidance for demonstrating compliance with the prerequisite for this issue, which follows the Central Point of Expertise on Timber (CPET) report on the UK Government Timber Procurement Policy. The ‘Timber Procurement Advice Note (TPAN)’ provides a checklist (Annex E) for evidence of certified timber (category A evidence). You can find this here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/timber-procurement-advice-note-tpan-comply-with-tpp Annex F of this document gives further guidance if the supplier isn’t directly certified and there is a broken chain of custody. It notes that ‘As soon as ownership of products is taken by a non-CoC-certificate holder, the products cease to be 'certified'. However, if the evidence is credible, you can make a claim of legal or sustainably sourced products.

Evidence requirements – responsible sourcing of materials at post-construction - KBCN1599

Whilst the UK BREEAM manuals are less prescriptive in the evidential requirements to allow flexibility, to ensure consistency across the schemes, it is expected that robust evidence should be provided to verify the source of any certified materials and how the assessor has confirmed the products and manufacturers used. Evidence supplied at post construction stage must reflect the completed building and confirm the responsibly sourced materials that have been procured and installed on the project. Supporting documentation is required to validate letters of confirmation or schedules of materials. Evidence provided could include proof of purchase, for example, invoices, delivery tickets, purchase orders or correspondence from suppliers. This may be an example for each material sourced, rather than every delivery ticket for instance. Alternatively, evidence of the use of the responsibly sourced materials may include as-built drawings, O&M documentation or site photographs.

FSC and PEFC Mixed Sources certified timber - KBCN00091

Products labelled:

FSC Mix or
PEFC Mixed Sources

Meet the BREEAM responsible sourcing requirements. This means any such products:

In HQM, and in BREEAM NC 2016 or older schemes: meet the prerequisite for legally harvested and traded timber.
In BREEAM NC 2018 or newer schemes: meet the prerequisite for legal and sustainable timber.
In all schemes: can be used to demonstrate responsible sourcing.

Products carrying the FSC Mix label contain at least 70% FSC certified and recycled material. These products may contain a small proportion of FSC Controlled Wood (KBCN00054). However for BREEAM compliance, the FSC Mix label is sufficient to meet our requirements.

14-Mar-2024 - Wording clarified and expanded. Relevant prerequisites and requirements clarified. Scheme applicability updated.

FSC Controlled Wood - KBCN00054

The FSC Controlled Wood label minimises the risk that wood comes from illegal or controversial sources, however it does not eliminate this risk. Therefore, products which are:

Labelled as FSC Controlled Wood or,
Where the majority of material in a product is comprised of FSC Controlled Wood,

Do not meet the BREEAM definition of responsibly sourced. Where FSC Mix labelled products contain FSC Controlled Wood, see KBCN00091. This means that any such products:

In HQM, and in BREEAM NC 2016 or older schemes: do not meet the prerequisite for legally harvested and traded timber.
In BREEAM NC 2018 or newer schemes: do not meet the prerequisite for legal and sustainable timber.
In all schemes: cannot be used to demonstrate responsible sourcing.

14-Mar-2024 - Wording clarified and expanded. Relevant prerequisites and requirements clarified. Scheme applicability updated.

GN18 BREEAM Recognised Responsible Sourcing Certification Schemes and BREEAM Scheme Applicability - KBCN0723

Latest version: v3.7, May 2023 BREEAM awards credits for responsibly sourcing construction products (typically under the Mat 03 issue) to encourage responsible product specification and procurement in construction. To achieve these credits, applicable specified products (as listed in the relevant technical manual) must be covered by an Environmental Management System (EMS) or a responsible sourcing certification scheme (RSCS) recognised by BREEAM. Guidance Note 18 lists the responsible sourcing certifications schemes recognised by BREEAM along with the relevant summary scores to be used in BREEAM assessments. Download Guidance Note 18 Download Guidance Note 18 v2.0 (licensed assessors only - optional for projects registered prior to release of v3.0 in September 2016) View all Guidance Notes on BREEAM Projects (licensed assessors only)

GN24 Demonstrating compliance with Mat 03 in BREEAM - KBCN0721

Latest version: v1.1, May 2022 Guidance Note 24 provides additional guidance to assessors and specifiers on demonstrating compliance with the criteria set out in Mat 03. It should be read in conjunction with the Technical Manual for the relevant assessment scheme. It covers:

How to deal with constituent products/materials including those with certification that is different from the overall product.
The precision required in estimating quantities:
- For the cut-off volume
- Of products/materials in the building (route 2 only)
- Of different material categories in products/materials.
An example route 2 calculation.
‘Broken chain’ situations.
How to treat building services.

Download Guidance Note 24 (licensed assessors only) View all Guidance Notes (licensed assessors only)

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