As the built environment moves towards net zero and greater circularity, materials passports are a tool used to improve transparency and sustainability in buildings
Materials passports capture detailed information about the components and materials used in a building. This data helps asset owners, facilities managers and developers explore opportunities for reuse, recycling and reducing embodied carbon.
For contractors and design teams, materials passports also provide crucial insight during construction, helping to select compliant, low-carbon materials, avoid costly specification errors and plan for future maintenance or refurbishment.
However, while materials passports are valuable, they represent only the first step in achieving full lifecycle visibility and operational insight.
What is a materials passport?
At its core, a materials passport is a digital record documenting the materials and products used in a built asset. It typically includes data such as composition, origin, environmental performance and potential for reuse. By gathering this information in one place, a materials passport makes it simpler to understand what a building is made of and how its materials can be reused or recycled later in their lifecycle.
Materials passports turn buildings into material banks where information about products and materials is stored, updated and accessible. This supports circular economy goals by helping to identify opportunities for material recovery and reuse over time.
For contractors, having a clear materials passport at hand can streamline procurement, reduce waste on-site and ensure that installed materials align with sustainability and regulatory targets specified by the design team.
From materials passports to broader insight
A materials passport gives a valuable snapshot of the physical fabric of a building but it does not, on its own, address ongoing operational needs or connect all relevant data across the lifecycle.
Design and construction teams play a key role in feeding accurate data into materials passports during specification and installation, ensuring the golden thread starts correctly and remains reliable over the building’s lifecycle.
To truly manage assets with confidence, teams need a trusted, connected record of all building information. That record must link materials data to systems, performance information, maintenance histories, compliance records and more.
This is where the golden thread of information comes in. The golden thread represents a structured, digital record of asset information that remains accurate and accessible from design, through construction and into operation. It acts as a single source of truth that supports safety, compliance, sustainability and long-term value.
Materials passports are only the beginning
For building owners and operators, there are important questions that materials passports alone cannot answer:
- Is the installed material compliant with current fire safety or building regulations?
- What is the maintenance history for specific components in the building?
- How does the embodied carbon of one system compare across an entire portfolio?
Without structured, connected information, these questions often remain unanswered or scattered across different systems and documents.
Contractors and designers benefit from understanding these gaps early. It allows them to deliver materials and systems that are easier to track, maintain and integrate into the golden thread, reducing post-construction disputes or remediation work.
An effective information management approach must bring material data into a broader context. This means linking it to operational systems, compliance records and performance data in a way that is searchable, reliable and up to date.
How connected information benefits asset owners
When materials passports are part of a wider information ecosystem, asset owners gain many benefits:
- Improved compliance – By linking material data with safety and regulatory records, teams can confidently meet evolving standards and reporting requirements.
- Enhanced sustainability reporting – Accurate, verified material data makes it easier to report on carbon and circularity goals.
- Smarter operations – With a central repository of data, FM teams can find what they need quickly when planning maintenance or upgrades.
- Lifecycle readiness – Connected data supports future programmes like digital twins or smart building analytics.
For construction teams, early engagement with this data ensures materials are installed correctly and in line with design intent, while designers can verify compliance and environmental performance before the building even opens.
Together, these benefits help asset owners not just understand their building materials, but use that knowledge to improve performance, value and sustainability over time.
Putting the pieces together
Materials passports provide important information about what a building is made of. But to achieve the full golden thread, this information must be linked with broader building data across the lifecycle from design and construction through to operation, refurbishment and eventual reuse.
Contractors and design teams are essential to this process. By delivering accurate, well-documented material and product information, they ensure the golden thread is complete and actionable, safeguarding value, sustainability and compliance from the very first build.
The result is a stronger, more connected approach to managing built assets, one that enables owners and operators to make better decisions and unlock long-term value from every building.
To find out more about how Glider’s information management platform supports the creation and management of materials passports, contact info@glidertech.com or visit www.glidertech.com.
