Reviewing Standards and Specifications

It is increasingly recognised that there is a need to review standards and specifications to ensure:

• the long-term impacts of climate change are always considered when commissioning new infrastructure (which often has a life-time of 50-100 years or more) to help ensure long-term resilience to climate change,
• that standards and specifications do not present barriers to the use of new lower carbon or more resilience alternatives.

New types of quality control may also be required, for example the WRAP/Environment Agency Quality Protocol Programme which provides a framework for ensuring the quality of recycled and secondary materials, thus providing consumer confidence in them and encouraging their use.

Specifications and contracts can be used by clients to help ensure the likely long term impacts of climate change are taken into account during routine maintenance of infrastructure or when commissioning new infrastructure. Examples of the types of revision that may be required include revising surfacing specifications to take account of projected hotter summers and reviewing drainage capacity to take account of the likely increase in the frequency and intensity of flooding events. Specifications and contracts can also be used to encourage sustainable practices, for example by setting waste targets and encouraging use of recycled materials.

Solid evidence is required to inform the revision of specifications and standards. TRL has led a range of projects to help support this process, for example we have undertaken research for the Department of Transport to investigate the likely impacts of climate change on highway maintenance. We subsequently produced guidance for local authority engineers on the likely impacts on pavements and potential actions to reduce the risk of damage.

Any new product or procedure needs not just its environmental performance established, but also aspects such as safety, durability and cost effectiveness to be considered. Changes to standards, specifications, regulations and guidelines often need accompanying guidance and case studies on how to implement them and identify good practice. TRL has developed a range of such guidance, for example as part of the BRO3 project TRL produced an Interim Advice Note for the Highways Agency on the use of Site Waste Management Plans (SWMPs). Good practice SWMPs can reduce waste and the carbon emissions associated with transporting waste and new materials.

TRL's key capabilities in this field include:

• Options analysis for the creation of roads that are lower carbon and more resilient to climate change,
• Identification of the likely impacts of climate change on infrastructure, including relevant thresholds,
• Exploring the likely costs as a result of climate change (e.g. through cost benefit studies),
• Development of standards and specifications for transport infrastructure including associated guidance notes,
• Reviews of existing standards and specifications to investigate their fitness for purpose in light of changing circumstances and carbon reduction targets,
• Assessment of the vulnerabilities of existing infrastructure and the identification of modifications to specifications or procedures that would increase resilience.

For further information on our experience visit the sustainable materials section of this site.