8th July 2026

New report reveals poor product information is undermining productivity, housing delivery and building safety compliance.

52 per cent say a lack of digitalisation is causing revenue loss
Only seven per cent believe the government will meet its target of 1.5 million new homes
Just 21 per cent are fully ready for Building Safety Act requirements, which came into force in 2023
Nine years on from the Grenfell tragedy, only 14 per cent fully understand the ‘golden thread’, the continuous record of building safety information designed to prevent failures like Grenfell happening again

The UK construction industry is losing up to £3.8 billion each year because product information remains fragmented, inconsistent and difficult to share, according to a new report from Barbour ABI and GS1 UK.

At a time of rising material costs and pressure to deliver new homes, the findings reveal a sector facing a growing gap between awareness of regulatory requirements and its ability to put them into practice, with 47 per cent agreeing the sector lags behind other industries when it comes to transparency and traceability.

One in two (52 per cent) construction professionals say a lack of digitalisation leads to revenue loss, rising to 69 per cent among larger organisations.

Three out of five (60 per cent) say inefficiencies in managing construction product information are hampering progress, while nearly half (48 per cent) describe current approaches as disorganised.

These same inefficiencies are also creating compliance and safety risks, while wider confidence in the sector’s ability to deliver remains low. Only seven per cent of construction professionals believe the government’s target of delivering 1.5 million new homes by 2030 will be met.

Nine years on from the Grenfell tragedy, the research also highlights persistent gaps in the sector’s ability to meet building safety requirements despite widespread awareness of the necessary regulations.

An overwhelming 98 per cent of industry professionals report an awareness of the Building Safety Act, and yet only 21 per cent report being fully prepared to meet its requirements, despite the legislation coming into force in October 2023.

Similarly, nine in 10 industry professionals say they are aware of the concept of the ‘golden thread’ of information, which is designed to ensure safety and accountability across a building’s lifecycle, but just 14 per cent say they fully understand it.

Iain Walker, director of industry engagement at GS1 UK, said, “For years, construction’s digital debate has focused on systems, platforms and documents. The harder question is whether everyone involved in designing, specifying, purchasing, installing and maintaining products is working from the same trusted information.

“The industry’s challenge is not a lack of awareness. The Building Safety Act and golden thread are now widely understood concepts. The challenge is creating reliable, consistent product information that can be shared and trusted across the lifecycle of a building.”

Poor product information management is a core driver of the sector’s inefficiencies and safety challenges.

The sector remains heavily reliant on static documents such as PDFs and brochures, making it difficult to maintain consistent, up to date product information across supply chains and building lifecycles.

This challenge becomes particularly acute when products are substituted on site, a practice reported by 84 per cent of respondents. Substitutions require accurate and accessible information to ensure safety, compliance and performance requirements continue to be met.

Many of the difficulties highlighted in the research stem from a fundamental issue: product information is often difficult to link consistently to a single product identity across organisations. Without that common reference point, tracking substitutions, demonstrating compliance and maintaining accurate records becomes significantly harder.

Fewer than one in five providers (18 per cent) report using a Product Information Management system, despite its growing importance in managing technical and compliance data.

Barriers to adopting digital solutions are widespread. Almost all respondents (99 per cent) identify at least one barrier to digitalisation, including a lack of clear direction (36 per cent), competing priorities (34 per cent), cost constraints (33 per cent) and a lack of digital skills (30 per cent).

These challenges are particularly acute for SMEs, which make up 99 per cent of construction businesses and often lack the resources to invest in digital transformation.

Despite this, there is strong recognition that change is needed. Nearly three-quarters (72 per cent) say digitalisation is essential to the future of the built environment, and 70 per cent believe urgent reform is required to improve the management of construction product information.

A majority (93 per cent) see value in using barcodes with Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs), unique identifiers that allow products to be tracked and recognised across supply chains, citing benefits including improved product traceability (70 per cent), lifecycle management (59 per cent), supply chain efficiency (54 per cent) and data exchange (51 per cent).

GS1 standards, which underpin the use of GTINs, provide a framework for uniquely identifying products and enabling consistent, interoperable data to be shared across supply chains.

Already widely used in retail and healthcare, adopting them in construction would allow manufacturers to create a single source of truth about their products, supporting better decision-making, improved compliance and safer outcomes across the lifecycle of a building.

Iain Walker added, “Without addressing the fundamental problem of product data management, the golden thread risks becoming a repository of documents rather than a trusted record of what was actually specified, installed, substituted and maintained throughout a building’s life.

“The task now is to make product information easier to identify, share and trust. If the sector can achieve that, it can improve productivity, strengthen compliance and create a safer built environment.”

GS1 UK is calling on industry and government to accelerate the adoption of common data standards for construction products, set clearer expectations for how digital product information should be structured and shared, and provide targeted financial and technical support to help SMEs adopt the systems and skills needed to meet new regulatory requirements.

Without faster progress, the sector risks falling short on both safety expectations and delivery targets, with significant economic and operational consequences.