THE BRITISH BOARD OF AGRÉMENT (BBA) HAS BEEN CERTIFIED AS MEETING THE CYBER ESSENTIALS STANDARD, AN INITIATIVE ESTABLISHED BY THE UK’S NATIONAL CYBER SECURITY CENTRE (NCSC). 

Achieving the certificate of assurance demonstrates that the BBA has met the requirements of the Cyber Essentials standard and has best-practice cybersecurity processes in place.

Cyber Essentials is a government-backed scheme designed to help organisations protect themselves against common cyber threats. The certification establishes that an organisation is implementing robust cybersecurity measures, safeguarding sensitive data and ensuring the integrity of its systems.

BBA Chief Information Officer, Martin Norfolk, comments, “Achieving Cyber Essentials certification from NCSC is an important milestone for us. It offers our customers the assurance of our commitment to information security and the processes we have in place to secure our IT systems and safeguard our operations, clients, and stakeholders against cyber attack. With this focus on cybersecurity, we will continue to develop our security activities and seek to establish best practice in all aspects of our business and our digitisation journey.”

As cyber threats continue to evolve in sophistication and frequency, organisations across all sectors face increasing pressure to enhance their cybersecurity protocols. By obtaining the Cyber Essentials certification, the BBA demonstrates its dedication to maintaining the highest standards of security and data protection in a fast-evolving digital landscape.

As well as offering BBA’s clients the peace of mind that they have robust processes in place for handling detailed and often confidential data about technical products, systems and services, having certified cyber security protocols also ensures that the BBA is able to service new manufacturer and government contracts that require Cyber Essentials certification.

The Cyber Essentials certification process involves rigorous assessment of an organisation’s IT infrastructure, policies, and procedures to ensure they meet the specified criteria for protection against cyber threats. By successfully completing this assessment, the BBA has demonstrated its adherence to industry best practices and its proactive approach to cybersecurity risk management.

The BBA is dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of quality and security across its operations. Achieving the Cyber Essentials certification is a significant step forward and reinforces BBA’s position as a trusted partner in the construction industry.

INDITHERM’S JOURNEY TO BBA ACCREDITATION

Founded in 2016, IndiNature is an innovator and manufacturer of bio-based construction materials. Using leading science and traditional crops, IndiNature’s goal is to bring industrial-scale change to the climate, the environment and people’s health. From January 2024, the company’s first product, IndiTherm, an industrial hemp thermal and acoustic insulation, can be specified for retrofit or new build construction projects at scale, following certification with a full British Board of Agrément (BBA) Certificate.

IndiTherm is made in the Scottish Borders using Yorkshire-grown hemp and is currently the only UK-grown and made natural fibre insulation to hold a BBA Agrément Certificate. The first-generation flexible insulation ‘batt’ maintains exceptional thermal and moisture buffering properties, helping to preserve building life and health of retrofit builds, as well as offsetting carbon in new homes. 

The Certification Process 

IndiNature began its certification process with the BBA just over a year ago due to the high regard for its certifications and recognition across the industry. IndiNature faced the challenges of establishing IndiTherm in the UK for the first time and establishing trust within the sector for its innovative product. Through expert guidance from the BBA and a rigorous certification process, IndiNature refined and improved its products quality control and procedures. IndiNature’s Co-founder & CTO, Scott Simpson, led the certification process and explains: 

“We founded the business because we care about quality buildings, people’s health and the planet – a full BBA Agrément certificate will help us grow those positive impacts on scale. Securing an Agrément is a highly demanding and rigorous process for any company – as a start-up this has been even more of a challenge but has meant we have optimised our in-house controls and are continuously improving product performance. It’s been tough for the team to get to this stage but we feel great about achieving our first certificate. The trend for natural low carbon construction materials continues to grow – this is an exciting time for IndiNature as we help accelerate that supply.  

Our whole team feels proud to have worked with the BBA to achieve the only Agrément certificate currently in the UK for industrial hemp insulation – and even more proud of the fact the products are made by local workers in our mill and the fibres are supplied by local farmers. This means carbon captured by British farms can be stored in British buildings.” 

New Business Growth 

The BBA Agrément Certificate is a gold standard in the UK construction industry. It establishes suitability and builds trust. Throughout the whole construction supply chain, BBA certificates are used to authenticate and specify suppliers for construction projects. Being certified opens up opportunities for those bringing a new product to market, or sets an existing product apart from its competition.  

Katy Roberts, BBA Sales & Marketing Director comments: 

“SMEs and start-up businesses are increasingly recognising the competitive advantages and opportunities that can open up as a result of BBA certification. IndiTherm is a great example of a truly innovative and entrepreneurial brand, that is using BBA certification to help sell their product and deliver new business growth.” 

Their BBA Agrément Certificate demonstrates that IndiTherm meets UK building regulations which enables its use for larger housebuilders, installers, warranty providers and government-funded insulation programmes. 

 Alex McLeod, IndiNature’s new CEO commented:  

“To have BBA certification demonstrates that our products have been tested to the highest standards expected here in the UK, and will undoubtedly assure architects, builders and contractors that our products are not only sustainable but achieve required performance levels.  

 We are currently the only UK manufacturer of natural fibre insulation products to be accredited with a full BBA Agrément certificate and this is already proving to be very positively received by our current and potential clients.  We are now well placed to offer a range of unique carbon-negative insulation materials with the peace of mind that our products have been tested to the highest standard.    

I’d like to thank the team at BBA for their diligence and rigour through the process and we look forward to working with them again as we expand and develop our product range.” 

Industrial Nature 

IndiNature has also introduced a system-specific CPD to support installer training on the new material. Only a small module is required to differentiate the product as it currently maintains similarities to other flexibatts on the market. Once trained, installers can benefit from the soft to touch, easy-to-handle and quick to install hemp-based insulation for use in cold roof, pitched roof, internal wall and underfloor applications. IndiNature has built a replicable model for production of IndiTherm and its next product ranges, meaning locally grown and made materials can be used to insulate local buildings. Through its UK manufacturing subsidiary and first IndiNature Mill, IndiNature aims to revitalise the local economy with a nature-based industry, building on the manufacturing heritage of the Scottish Borders and encouraging new skills for workers as part of a transition to net zero. Such industries are vital for a safer, healthier, carbon-negative future, and with support from The British Board of Agrément, can pave the way for change within the construction sector. 

CPD MODULE WILL HELP ARCHITECTS AND SPECIFIERS MAKE BETTER PRODUCT CHOICES

The British Board of Agrément (BBA) has received approval from RIBA for the content of its new CPD, titled ‘Navigating 3rd Party Certification: Using BBA Agrément to build with confidence’. The module is designed to help specifiers interpret the information within a BBA Agrément Certificate and have confidence in a product’s suitability for a particular project. 

New responsibilities, resulting from the Building Safety Act, requires the construction industry to help raise the standard on accountability and improve building safety standards, prompting change across the whole sector. Third party certification has a vital role, enabling specifiers to understand if a product is fit for purpose for a specific application.  

Hardy Giesler, BBA CEO, explains, “The Grenfell tragedy has highlighted how vital it is that specifiers are able to make better informed decisions about the products they are choosing. Our research has shown that there is often uncertainty in how certification is interpreted, so following a consultation to understand how we can support the market in this transition, the BBA is rolling out a new CPD designed to help the industry interpret and understand 3rd party certification better, to help them make better decisions.” 

The new CPD will also provide greater clarity on often misunderstood differences between product conformity and certification. 

Julie Bregulla, Chief Technical Officer (CTO) explains, “The BBA’s new CPD is vital to help deliver our goal to support the construction industry, because it is essential that everyone in the value chain understands how to interpret product safety certification correctly. The CPD will enable specifiers to make informed and confident decisions about the products they choose.” 

The BBA’s CPD will be part of RIBA’s core curriculum, from which its members are required to obtain more than half their annual CPD totals. It will be available via monthly online webinars, the first taking place on Wednesday April 17th or can be delivered on a practice by practice basis.  

Helping the construction industry to become fit-for-purpose and future ready

The BBA took part in the Futurebuild event at ExCeL in London, delivering guidance on how companies can gain certification for their building products and management systems, and sharing of our new RIBA® accredited CPD: “Navigating 3rd Party Certification: Using BBA Agrément to build with confidence”.

The Importance of 3rd Party Certification

Throughout the three-day event, the BBA asked visitors to our stand “How does 3rd party certification enable change in the industry?” A live scribe captured responses and created our “living wall” with illustrations and essential information, creating a vibrant and interactive talking-point.

The Futurebuild event is a perfect fit for our mission to help the construction industry become fit-for-purpose and future-ready. A leading exhibition and conference for the built environment, Futurebuild allows visitors to connect with leading suppliers and industry professionals whilst gaining knowledge of sustainable construction across the industry. Visitors were able to discover innovative solutions and services that are helping to transform the built environment, and listen to inspiring ideas from over 300 carefully curated speakers across ten stages.

There were many organisations in attendance with exciting new sustainable products, needing to establish their fitness-for-purpose where current standards don’t exist. We were able to share our experiences of working collaboratively with similar companies, supporting them with the product certification required to build confidence and launch their products successfully.

Demystifying Third Party Certification in the Built Environment Value Chain

The Building Safety Act places new responsibilities on the construction industry to help raise the standard on accountability and improve building safety standards, prompting change across the industry. Third party certification has a vital role, enabling specifiers to understand if a product is fit for purpose for a specific application. The British Board of Agrément (BBA) will launch a new CPD at Futurebuild, titled ‘Navigating 3rd Party Certification: Using BBA Agrément to build with confidence’, which is designed to help specifiers interpret the information within a BBA Agrément Certificate and have confidence in a product’s suitability for a particular project.

Hardy Giesler, BBA CEO, explains, “The Grenfell tragedy has highlighted how vital it is that specifiers are able to make better informed decisions about the products they are choosing. Our research has shown that there is often uncertainty in how certification is interpreted, so following a consultation to understand how we can support the market in this transition, the BBA is rolling out a new CPD designed to help the industry interpret and understand 3rd party certification better, to help them make better decisions.”

The new CPD will also provide greater clarity on often misunderstood differences between product conformity and certification.

Julie Bregulla, Chief Technical Officer (CTO) explains, “The BBA’s new CPD is vital to help deliver our goal to support the construction industry, because it is essential that everyone in the value chain understands how to interpret product safety certification correctly. The CPD will enable specifiers to make informed and confident decisions about the products they choose. By launching at Futurebuild,

we are looking forward to connecting with the industry directly and will be sharing valuable in-person advice on navigating 3rd party certification.”

Learn more at Futurebuild

The BBA is exhibiting at Futurebuild on stand F34, located in the Buildings Zone, and will be delivering guidance on how companies can gain certification for their building products and management systems, and to share detail of their new CPD.

The Importance of 3rd Party Certification

Throughout the three-day event, the BBA will ask, “How does 3rd party certification enable change in the industry?” A live scribe will interact with visitors by capturing responses with illustrations and essential information on the stand wall, to create a vibrant and interactive talking-point. You can also contribute your view by using the button at the end of this article.

Visiting the BBA stand at Futurebuild will be an ideal opportunity to learn more about the benefits of BBA Agrément Certification, and how it can create can assure and communicate key performance features of products and systems. For manufacturers creating a new product, certification can help to establish assess, validate and assure your innovation and create a testing standard where it does not currently exist. The BBA has developed a reputation for quality, high standards and rigorous product assessment, offering peace of mind to specifiers.

Why Futurebuild?

A leading exhibition and conference for the built environment, Futurebuild allows visitors to connect with leading suppliers and industry professionals whilst gaining knowledge of sustainable construction across the industry. Visitors can look forward to discovering innovative solutions and services with its wide range of exhibitors that are helping to transform the built environment, and listen to inspiring ideas with the 2024 programme, which includes over 300 carefully curated speakers across ten stages.

 January 2024

The British Board of Agrément (BBA), the UK’s leading construction products certification body, is pleased to announce the latest manufacturers who have gained BBA accreditation, for products ranging from sustainable timber frame insulation to soil reinforcement Geogrids, and crack sealing systems for highways to anchor bolts.

Recent research by the NBS reveals that almost nine out of ten specifiers consider third party certification to be essential. The world that we face is more complex than ever before, and the built environment continues to navigate its way through demands for a tighter focus on quality and safety. In order to help specifiers make the right choices for their projects, the BBA Agrément Certificate is a recognised and credible scheme for manufacturers of products used in the construction industry to demonstrate a product’s fitness-for-purpose.

The BBA’s detailed assessment of a product or system establishes its performance and offers a mark of excellence based on rigorous national and European standards that validate a construction product’s specialist capabilities.

Recent certification includes:

• IndiTherm® hemp insulation flexibatts by IndiNature is a flexible thermal insulation ‘batt’ made from UK crops. This sustainable product can save a quarter of a tonne of CO2 per pallet of IndiTherm used in a building project and maintains exceptional thermal and moisture buffering properties.
• The fermacell® PowerPanel H2O by James Hardie Building Products Ltd is an advanced water-resistant cement bonded board, ideal for walls, floors, and ceilings. Designed for use in damp conditions, the PowerPanel H2O remains stable in buildings such as leisure and sports centres, swimming pools, and catering facilities.
• Maccaferri’s range of knitted high-tenacity PET GeoGrids finished with a polymeric coating are developed for use as a reinforcement in embankments with slope angles up to 70°. GeoGrids improve soil performance and provide significant benefits to areas with poor bearing capacity as well as seismic zones.
• Proband 60 by Jobling Purser is a preformed, thermoplastic resin based overbanding system, used to seal and repair cracks, fretted joints and reinstatement joints up to 5mm wide in asphalt and concrete surfaces. The tape helps prevent the ingress of water and with the addition of high PSV aggregate, maintains a high skid resistance.
• Fischer Fixings has received certifications for multiple anchor bolt products including its zinc-plated and stainless steel Drop-In Anchor EA II and High Performance Anchor FH and FH II-I. The anchors are optimised for fastening different items such as air conditioning units or stadium seating to concrete.
• For use as a damp-proof and waterproof solution, Solsheet Self Adhesive Membrane by Solco is a high performance cold applied membrane. The product can be used for solid concrete floors, underground structures, reservoir roofs, and for internally and externally applied tanking below ground.

To view all BBA certifications, visit www.bbacerts.co.uk/mybba

NBS ‘What Specifiers Want’ Report 2023